29
Rocket Town: The Very Bitter Rocket Man
There was something chilling about waking up in the middle of the green plains in the early morning. I hugged my cloak tighter around my shoulders, a wind tossing my loose hair back like long silver wings unfurling behind me. A sun had just risen, though its orange light didn't reach the peaks of lush green hills nor over the base of Mt. Nibel's grounds just yet. Such light was only beginning to crack through, columns of it across the fields. Last night's clouds had dispersed, only trailing along the edges of the sky. I anticipated a lovely sunny day ahead.
The smell was marvelous, of old rain and grass when I took a sniff of it, and trembled slightly.
But it wasn't the strong winds pushing me South that made me shiver. Not the mildew from last night's cold nor my dampened cloak.
I watched the others break down camp. Tents folded. Blankets rolled up. Vincent standing around, with his eyes closed, like he could sleep while on his feet. Cloud folding the last of his tent while he was left to his own peaceful thoughts. Aerith and Yuffie chatting as they gathered their bags and drank water from their bottles. A distant rooster's cry warned the world of a new day coming.
There was something about taking the moment, that planted a sinking feeling in me, like I wasn't going to get this again for a long, long time. Being out here, in the valley, with new friends and new loves, the peace of it… I wanted to cling to the moment for as long as I could.
Footsteps shuffled over tall grass, and then Aerith's voice.
"Aqua, it's time to go," she tweeted.
I brushed a few loose hairs away from my eyes, and just smiled.
"I know…"
Aerith detected something was awry, and asked, "What is it?"
The winds merged her braid with my hair, silver and hazelnut.
I stopped relishing the moment, and turned to her. The short sleep still settled in my eyes.
"It just feels like I won't have this again for a long time," I muttered, still unsure as to what I even meant exactly. It sounded silly when I said it because I knew, there were more days to come, more lands to explore and more camps to make together. So then, why was my stomach hurting? Why did the hairs of my arms turn straight up?
Aerith's long and loose bangs curved across her eyes, covering her pale and creamy ball of forehead, and her eyebrows went up.
Her hand found mine, and squeezed reassurance back into my fingers.
"We still have plenty of days like this ahead of us," she vowed, the crushed woman from last night, gone. Once again, Aerith has revived herself from her inner dilemmas, a true Phoenix.
Tifa the swan.
And I was just a pigeon.
I ruffled my feathers, I mean, cloak, over my arms, wishing it was washed and dried. The old and cold rain still stayed in its stitchings, a muggy effect that won't be taken out without a proper wash.
"Aqua, Aerith, let's go," Cloud called, waiting for us, along with Yuffie and Vincent.
Hand holding, Aerith and I joined them. I smiled, falling into conversation with Cloud to my other side. Little did I notice, Aerith's eyes dimmed, and she became quiet for a while. Her hand felt lifeless.
After a few hours, we found a dirt road and followed it. A couple of wagons, filled with the day's crops, rushed beside us, pulled by Chocobos. The two yellow birds fretted when they neared Vincent, flapping their wings and jolting the wagons away with hurry, startling the drivers. I stared at Vincent, but he hid his face inside his high collar, eyes down to his golden claw.
"Vincent, no offense, but you give me the creeps sometimes," Cloud muttered, walking next to the mysterious man. Vincent dropped his gold claws and raised his focus out to the road, bypassing the yellow trees and wagons to see farther away.
"I have yet to understand what Hojo did to me, but it isn't pleasant. I've hardly given myself time to know my new self, left the years of sleep to do my bidding," the brooding man groaned.
"Would it make you feel better that I slapped Hojo?" I tried, hoping it would help his mood, and grinned at his long hair down his back. Vincent's red eyes widened, the first stunned look I've seen him expose when he glanced behind.
"Close to second place. It does it give me such pleasure to hear that you did such a phenomenal thing," he convinced, and turned his head back to the road.
"What's first place?" Aerith tweeted, her first set of words in hours.
"Hojo's death."
"Oh…"
I cracked a smile at the twisted face Aerith made, while Yuffie skipped ahead, pointing a finger out to the distance.
"Hey, what's that?!"
We all studied the far away structure, a tall tower, leaning heavily over a spread clutter of a town, like it was about to fall over.
"A tower?" I guessed.
But as we neared, the tower morphed into a depressing monument, its form slumped over the sleepy town like a depressed frozen giant, watchful like some old guardian.
"A Rocket," Cloud announced, and we all saw it clearly, only a couple of yards behind someone's cottage.
I eyed the rocket, unaware that this world had the means of technology to even consider traveling into space. Though, this rocket was covered in moss and rust, its nose pointing towards Mt. Nibel instead of to the sky. It had fallen from its support legs, leaving behind tall cranes of towers near it.
"That's depressing," I commented, clearly knowing how the town found its name.
Rocket Town was just as small as Nibelheim, though with the atmosphere of Kalm. A few people were out, their stares lingering on me far longer than I was comfortable with. I slipped my hair inside my hood and covered myself, afraid of strangers recognizing me as Rufus's fiancée. The idea had almost slipped completely, something I didn't have to worry too much about in Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim.
A small farmer's market sat in the center of town, a half dozen people taking to their shopping and strolling. No cars, just Chocobos hauling carts. The streets were of white stone, aligned with recently built chocolate cottages, the smell of the cut wood and paint still fresh. The protective borders around town were nothing other than bright white picket fences, its low gates open for us to walk through. A few of the homes were surrounded by that same fence, along with Mako pipes cutting into the walls and through the grass.
Trees, with the changing of autumn leaves to yellow, scattered, one weged in between each home, giving the town a golden touch. Signs swung from their posts above doors to shops, and an Inn.
I pointed to the Inn with a swinging sign labeled, "Shanghai Inn", and exclaimed, "Look, an Inn. Finally, I can take a hot shower!"
Yuffie had her eyes on the market, a few stalls with gems and stones to marvel at. I could practically see the sparkling Materia reflect off her large brown eyes.
"And Materia," she hummed, licking her lips like she was planning to stalk new prey.
"And a picnic!" Aerith cheered.
"And..." Cloud clenched his teeth, unsure what he wanted to say, and rubbed his hand behind his head.
"Anyway, let's ask around about a plane, the keystone, or Sephiroth. If you don't come up with anything, then go to the Inn. We'll figure it out from there," he suggested.
Aerith, Yuffie and I cheered, instantly zipping away towards the farmer's market.
Cloud's voice cracked, hand out to try to stop us, but then reconsidered.
"Uh, okay. Geez," he groaned.
"Hmph," Vincent crossed his arms. "I'll be at the Inn."
The first thing I did, was buy a couple of bran muffins with blackberries in them. I ate one the instant I bought them, grinning like a happy kid with a treat.
"Oh man, I miss muffins," I gloated, mouth full.
Aerith took one from my basket, and began to chew into it with care. Her eyes lit up, the soft sweet berry and fluffy bran flour goodness still warm and buttered.
Yuffie loitered in front of a Materia stand, getting too friendly with a sale's man. They were giggling together the last I whipped my head in her direction.
Aerith tugged on my arm.
"Aqua, look! The others are here," she gasped. I looked over my shoulder, and there, standing next to the Inn, Barret and Tifa were talking to Cloud. Something crashed into my legs, and I looked down, startled to see Red's yellow eyes glow up at me.
"Red! You made it!" I cried, and fell to my knees to wrap my arms around his furry neck. He smelt like firewood and grass, his hairs moist and soft to the touch.
"It's got to see you again," the creature smiled. His tongue found my cheek, and licked.
Aerith joined, hugging him and getting a few licks as well. Large stomping trembled the stone under my feet, until Mog's voice rumbled, "Loooong tiiiimme noooo seeeee."
I glanced up to find Cait Sith struggling to sit properly on Mog's head, fixing his little crown.
"Ah, finally, I have you in my sight. I won't let us separate again. Traveling without knowing how well behave Cloud has been towards you, puts me on edge," the cat fretted. He leaned one of his squinted eyes at Aerith.
"Hmmm, so Aerith. Did Cloud keep his hands off of Aqua?"
My face reddened, and I rose just to spin and hide it, while Aerith pressed her lips together and looked up to the blue sky. She balanced back and forth between the toes and heels of her brown boots.
"Hmmmm...Yep!" She grinned down at the cat doll and his Mog friend. "No trouble!"
Red kept his mouth shut, clearly blinking back to the time he walked in on me and Cloud in Cosmo Canyon. The red creature gave Cait Sith a look of pity, and shook his head.
"Cait, eventually at some point, you will have to accept that I am an adult, and can do what I what," I grumbled over my shoulder. I crossed my arms.
Cait's paw rubbed up and down his arm, face turned to the others beside the Inn.
"Yeah, well. Until we get this situation taken care of with Rufus, it's probably best not to overcomplicate it, ya know? The public already thinks you belong to the President and-!"
"Ah! And I will gladly spread rumors over rumors, and tell everyone, that I am indeed..." I edged closer to him, and I enhanced each word. "Not. Marrying. RUFUS!" I roared his name with so much hate, Cait Sith gasped and fell backwards, toppling over Mog and landed on the stone behind large white feet.
Cait rubbed at his head, his crown rolling away.
"Okay, okay," he struggled, and scurried away to fetch his crown.
"Argh!" I growled, and Aerith suppressed a giggle.
She ran up and hugged Barret, startling him. I hugged Barrett's gun arm awkwardly, and the man blushed from such attention.
"Wow, I should be gone more often," he chuckled.
"I'm glad we're all together after a short break. I guess you beat me here," Tifa chimed in, and gave Aerith a small hug. When the dark-haired woman eyed me, I stiffened and blinked my eyes to my muddy boots.
"I'm glad everyone is safe," I tried, but Tifa was too busy eying the mark she gave me. Her lips rammed into her mouth, cognac eyes blinking back emotions she wasn't ready to deal with. When she dropped her eyes, her long diamond earrings dangled.
"Yeah, I'm glad you're all safe, too," she muttered.
Vincent watched her carefully, keeping quiet, but he appeared to read her like a book, brooding behind a shadow of the Inn's alleyway.
With all of us together again, we scattered about, some of us at the Inn to rest properly, while others visited the market and shops.
"So, no luck finding anything, huh?" Cloud asked Barret. I wanted to stroll with them, Aerith taking my right side, while Cait Sith stalked me to my left, his little eyes sharp on Cloud, ready like a hawk.
Barret shook his head, and his eyes strayed to a quaint little brown cottage.
"Nah, nothin. Just damn monsters, and people depressed over Shinra. Same old shit," he hissed. His eyebrows narrowed on the house, the Mako pipes noticed, and he scoffed, whipping his head away sharply.
"I think we're looking wrong," Aerith added. She had the book she took from Bugenhagen's library, and flipped back to the page she saved with a small white flower, flattened as a bookmark.
"The stone itself, is worthy of a prized possession," she read, the words familiar to me.
"Like a trophy?" Cait Sith guessed.
"Or a prize," I wondered aloud.
We were all quiet, thinking. Barret crossed his arms and shook his head.
"Yeah. I got nothin. Aerith, that's all there is?"
She nodded to him, and closed the book.
"There's nothing else about it," she answered gloomily, and tucked the book away in her bag.
"Hey!" Cloud gasped, and he froze in his tracks. We all mimicked him, wondering what he was gawking at.
His hand pointed to the edge of town, a large single story home with an extensive backyard.
And in that backyard was...
"A plane!" Aerith and I both exclaimed.
We all walked up to the fence, hands over it to eyeball at the shiny red plane like a small pack of kids marveling over a new toy. It appeared to be a small privet jet, with five small windows, a propeller to each wing, and one on its nose. There were small twin jet engines, but what stuck out the most, was the logo.
"Shinra! God damn it. Of course, they fuckin own it," Barret cursed.
Cloud shook his head and threw a puzzled look at Barret.
"Who cares. It's not like that will stop us from taking it," he barked.
"You know how to fly a plane?!" I gasped, turning my head to Cloud. His lips opened, but all he could do was breathe out a "ah.." and he blinked back at the private jet again. His cheeks burned.
"N-no..."
"Wait a minute!" I began, a hand on my hip. "We were supposed to be looking for a plane, and yet, you're telling me, that no one can even pilot one?! What, you think you live in the Matrix, just press a few keys and boom, you know how to fly one?! Or there was just going to be a kids' manual in the glove box?!"
"What the hell's the Matrix?" Barret grunted.
I threw my hands up. "My point is, how do we steal a plane, if we can't even fly it?!" I screeched. All of this trouble to find one, and as soon as we did, everyone scratches at their heads as to how to take it.
"Aqua, I can pilot most vehicles. It's not that difficult. I'm sure I can fly a plane just fine," Cloud argued lightly.
My eyes grew at his overconfidence.
"You're sure?!"
But before Cloud had a chance to convince me, a voice came out of nowhere.
"Hi, excuse me?" It was such a tiny and polite voice, easy to miss. We all turned, and just behind the plane, beyond a barbecue pit and a few plastic chairs, a small woman appeared. She remained half hidden behind the door to the back of the house, bright brown eyes peeking out, followed by milk chocolate hair over her shoulder.
"Hi? Who are you?" She asked, opening the door all the way to walk out to meet us. Her leather loafers stepped over dozens of cigarette butts in the grass, cursing to herself for not picking them up earlier, and shuffled her way over.
"I see you guys eyeballing the plane, here," she began, and she fixed her glasses before they slipped down too far over her long nose.
The five of us froze, no one sure what to say. Hands gripped the fence. Lips pressed together.
The young woman chuckled a little at our nervous energy, and she slipped her hands into pockets of her black pants.
"You're all new faces. My name is Shera," she greeted.
"Cloud," Cloud started. Barret chimed in. Cait Sith said nothing. Aerith gave her name.
"And I'm Aqua," I announced, trying to put aside my evil thoughts of stealing the plane, and simply smiled.
Shera studied me, her bright eyes blinking behind thick lenses. And then, she lit up.
"Ah! The President's fiancée! It's a pleasure to meet you! We're all so glad Rufus has enough heart to even consider marriage. I thought that man only loved his money and Shinra's Mako project," she mentioned.
All eyes turned to me as I sank into myself.
"Y-yeah! Me too?" I couldn't decide whether to play along or to just be up front right away.
Shera neared, and took my hand, shaking it with the low fence in between us. Her cheerful attitude caught me by surprised. Hope was in her eyes, as though I was the one thing that could, somehow, bend Rufus's will to have him do good for the Planet.
Inside, I laughed.
"If you're here, then that means Rufus is too, right?"
I pulled back and exchanged worried looks at the others. Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"No, he's not here," he finalized, his thoughts already dark.
This seemed to disappoint the kind woman, and she sighed, hugging herself in a long sleeve white turtleneck.
"That's too bad. He's supposed to be here at some point," she noted.
All five of us gawked.
"Wait! Rufus is coming here?" I trembled. "When?"
Shera lifted a thin eyebrow over my reaction, unexpected for someone about to see my future husband. I grew dizzy, and my hands gripped the fence to hold myself steady.
"Later today, I think. Or tomorrow. It depends on when his chopper gets here. We're all excited!"
All of us sprung with irritation. Cloud, especially, tightened his jaw, and his eyes began to shift from dark to light blue.
"Then we need to ask of you about borrowing this plane," he mentioned with a little too much threat in his voice. Shera took a few shaky steps away, eying him carefully.
"If you all need this plane, then please go ask the Captain. It's his, not mine. He's up in the Rocket," she shook.
"Cloud..." I took his arm into my hands, pulling his eyes filled with hatred, down to mine, and when they blinked, they turned dark blue again. He sucked in a breath, unaware that he was frightening the kind woman, and swallowed back his anger.
His hand touched mine, and squeezed.
"Sorry," he uttered, and turned his back to the plane.
"Let's get this over with before what's-his-face shows up," he added, dreading the thought. I let go of Cloud, and found myself stuck in my head.
If Rufus was going to be here, did that mean Isaac would be as well?
I haven't seen him since Costa De Sol. Our private talk felt like a lovely way to pronounce a closure I could be content with, if that were to be the last time I saw him. If only I could ask him how he was. How he was coping with this world? What are the things he missed back at home? The only other person relatable to me, isn't even on my side.
I chuckled sadly, finding it all ironic.
Cait Sith seemed edgy. He wanted to avoid being near that rocket as we drew closer, the structure much bigger than expected. We all stood a few feet from it, gawking up at its magnificent structure. I've never been this close to a rocket before. I was a little apprehensive, its size towering over us. If we were to climb inside it, would the whole thing fall over?
The rocket stood crookedly just a few yards outside of town. Birds chirped, pleasant music to break the surrounding anxiety. Little saplings surrounded the launch pad, grown from old stumps.
Cait Sith's tail tapped Mog's head hastily.
"You guys go on ahead," he implied, and stayed back. Barret stared up at the stairs and long ladder, and then he just shook his head.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna bother, not with this hand. I'll wait in town. See ya," and he turned away, marching back towards civilization.
It was just the three of us: Me, Cloud and Aerith. It hasn't really been the three of us since Mt. Corel. I was optimistic for a moment, anticipating the three of us together again. But Aerith bit her lower lip, looked down for a moment along the cables over the grass, and chirped, "Oh, I forgot! I've been wanting to get something at the market!" And she twirled around, winking at my startled face.
"Wait. You don't have to..." My voice faded as she did.
I watched her wander back to town, humming to herself.
"Bring back good news!" She cheered, too far away, and she waved while the town settled behind her.
My shoulders sank, just as Cloud crossed his arms, his back to Aerith.
"Well, they all left quickly," he groaned, eyes closed with narrowed eyebrows. He then lifted his head, eyes open, and observed the rocket. Or at least, it looked like he was checking it out. But his eyes faded, deep in his thoughts, and they shifted to a fragile state.
"She still can't even talk to me. Figures."
A tiny jolt smacked me in the chest. I laid a hand over the spot above my breasts, and turned to Cloud.
"I wish you two would talk again," I worried. The older trees around the lot, shook their yellow leaves, clapping at my brave words. A few fluttered away, spinning and floating up and down like feathers. A few of them landed near our feet. One landed atop of Cloud's head, stuck between his spikes. He stayed silent, refusing to acknowledge my wish. I lightly glared at him.
"Cloud, at some point, you need to…no, I want you to. I want you to apologize to Aerith," I demanded.
He dropped his eyes abruptly to mine, his gaze piercing with a fierce glow.
"You think I don't know that? Do you think I enjoy having a screen between me and Aerith? I want it to be the three of us just as much as you do. Do you know how many times I see you two together, and how I wish I could just join you? Not feel left out and miss something important, like when you two went into that cave in Cosmo Canyon? I hate..." he stopped, bewildered at himself for how much he actually said. He used to be a man with few words, but then, there he was, spilling them out one after another, and still more left. Cloud sighed with irritation, and planted a hand on his face.
"I hate it, but, she'll eventually tell me, won't she?" His gaze softened, the Mako trailing away, and he searched for an answer in my stare.
I regretted to show uncertainty, and cocked my head a little.
"She told me she would tell me everything when we find the Temple of the Ancients," I shared in a serious tone. As much as I disagreed to go to such a place, if that's what takes to get Aerith to tell me all she knows, then so be it. I kept ignoring the whispers that came to visit, repeating their warnings. Even now, they arrived, like a part of the soft breeze, trickling with the leaves, telling me to stay away. I closed my eyes until the voices passed, and then opened them again to look at Cloud.
He seemed to relax, confidence back on his face.
"Then what are we doing standing around here for? Let's get that plane, and go find that keystone," he warmed.
That leaf was still there in his hair, its light yellow shade blending in with his color. I reached for it, surprising him when he thought I was trying to grab his face.
"Hey, you caught a leaf," I lightened, taking its silky yellow skin in between my thumb and finger. I showed it to him, and he shrugged.
"So?"
I heaved a giggle through my nose, smiling.
"So, they say if you catch a leaf before it touches the earth, you will have good luck for the rest of the year," I explained. Before Cloud could protest, I tucked the leaf in between his shirt and chest plate, hidden from view except for a tiny yellow tip.
"There. You should have good luck now," I chirped. Cloud gave me a crooked smile, and his blond eyebrow lifted.
"It's that easy?" He challenged warmly.
My smile widened.
"If you believe it will."
Cloud scoffed through his smile, and shook his head.
We crossed the launching pad and began to climb the ladder towards the access platform.
"Does your world have rockets?" Cloud asked.
"Sure. Lots of them. For almost sixty years now," I grunted, the bars spreading iron rust under my fingers and palms. I grit my teeth together, hating the feel of its crusty layer.
"Does that mean your home already has space travel? You can move from planet to planet, then?" Cloud's voice lifted, a shred of hope in there.
I instantly knew what he was thinking, and I looked up at him, the strong winds lifting my hair around my face. Oh, Cloud, I wish it were that easy. Even if either of our worlds could fly into space, who knows how long the distance is between them. If I were back home, could we even reach each other through space?
"No. Sadly, it doesn't. We haven't even flown a man to another planet yet. Just a moon," I groaned.
Cloud stepped into the platform, and lent me his hand. I struggled, afraid to let go of the ladder, and stayed solid over the ledge.
"You know what? I think I'll stay right here and-ah!"
Cloud snatched my arm and practically floated me to him, a small chuckle from his lips.
"Come on, you goof," he grinned. I took a tight hold of his arm, not trusting the rusty rails around us as we stepped over grids until we entered the rusty iron bucket of a rocket. Like an old ship, its walls creaked, the tilted metal floor echoing our footsteps.
"That sucks. Sixty years and your world hasn't even brought people to another planet yet? It's no wonder Shinra scrapped their space project. They probably already knew they wouldn't get anything out of it," Cloud mentioned, shaking his head. There was the distant sound of music playing, like an electric guitar and drums. As Cloud and I neared, the music grew louder, traveling across the circular halls, vibrating the metal under my fingertips when I dragged them along the polished walls.
The electric guitar grew louder, and I was suddenly getting Beastie Boys vibes when an angry voice broke into a solo rap battle.
Cloud groaned, his ears covered, and we continued. I sniffed, smelling smoke, and grew anxious. What if the rocket was on fire? The smell grew stronger, the music louder, leading us down more ladders, until we landed into a humming room with large tanks and pipes. Across the aisle of metal grids, a pair of legs in green cargo pants and dirty brown boots stuck out, one boot tapping to the beat. A small boombox blared the Beastie Boys like music, the metal tanks and walls only sharpening the tune. Tools clanked. A haze of smoke lifted through rows of pipes over the body, and the man hummed to the music. A tool box laid open, and a tight, muscular hand reached for it, blond hairs over thick fingers, and they curled over a wrench.
I waved the smoke away from my face, coughing.
"Gods, is the rocket on fire or what?" I whined. Cloud seemed to protest with himself, standing and ready to turn around. But he forced himself to step forward, and coughed.
"Excuse me?" He tried, but there was no way the person heard him. The face was hidden under pipes, unaware that there was company. A scruffy voice grunted, like there was bolt tightening. The guitar broke into a solo, ringing in our ears.
"Excuse me!" Cloud's voice grew, trying to overthrow the music with his agitation.
Still nothing.
I shoved pass him and kicked at the stranger's leg.
"Hey!" I screamed.
"What in the ass?!" A rough, country voice cried.
Aggressively, thick arms pushed a body out, and blond eyebrows narrowed over thick goggles. The glowing butt of his cigarette glared at me in between his clenched teeth.
"No fucking way. It's about god damn time!" He rattled, recognizing me, and stood up. Sludge, ash, and drops of beer laid across his tight white shirt. I knew it was beer, because, like magic, the rough-looking man pulled a can of it to his lips and he set it on top of a ledge of something electric.
With a hard face, and a square jawline, the mechanic frowned as he dusted his hands off, and rubbed dirt across his pants. He slipped his goggles up and over his blond head, eyes closed, and took a nice, long inhale of his cigarette. In an exhale, white smoke blew around it, his thin lips making a hard line. His eyes opened, dim and hard blue, like I was looking into two small blue stones. And I thought Barret always looked pissed.
I took a step back, and the stranger tapped his boot over the boombox roughly to turn off the music.
"Rufus finally here, then? He sends you and your SOLDIER to fetch me, huh?"
I crossed my arms.
"No. He's not here. It's just me traveling through," I replied. The man's eyes lightened a little, and he leaned against a pipe, an arm draped over it like it was his best buddy.
He blinked a couple of times, like he had difficulty registering what I just said, and rubbed a greasy hand over his small blond fuzz of facial hair.
"Then what the fuck are you doing here?" He muttered, and then there was a belch. Immediately, I slapped a hand over my mouth, unsure as to fight rude words or to block his cigarette and beer burp from coming in contact with my face.
Cloud stepped forward, his patience too thin, and grumbled, "We're looking for the Captain. Have you seen him?"
The man took a dirty rag from his back pocket, and applied it behind his head to wipe away at his sweat, though it only seemed to spread filth down his neck and over his red cheeks.
He stiffened at half a burp, and struggled to stand up straight when he nodded, letting Cloud's words process a lot slower than necessary. More smoke, and then, finally, after a long inhale.
"I'm the captain. Name's Cid," he hailed through his white clouds. They loitered around him like his little demons.
I coughed, waving a hand around to brush all the filth away.
"How lovely," I choked sarcastically.
Cid smirked at me, and his cigarette tilted upward, erected.
"Smart mouth," he grumbled, and he finished his beer. He cranked the can in his hand easily, and carelessly dropped it along five more wrinkled cans across the metal grid.
"I'm Aqua, and this is Cloud," I introduced while trying not to stare at the mess. Cid coughed, and crouched low to collect his tools, put them back in the box.
"Yeah? And what are you two doing in my rocket?" His scratchy voice dropped when he especially said, "my rocket", holding too much weight to it. The drinking, the pissed off music, the maintenance for something of a ghost to this town. Something told me this man was in a lot of pain, and he buried it lightly with superficial layers, like he wasn't trying to hide it from the world, and was glad of it.
"We want to bo-!" I stopped Cloud, a hand to his chest, and I whispered to him, "Let's try a gentler approach, don't you think?"
Cloud fought the urge to meet my hand with his, and even though his eyes held questions, he kindly simmered down.
"You ask, then," he encouraged quietly. I gave him a reply with a smile just before turning around to face Cid.
"Does this rocket actually work?" I began.
Cid chuckled to himself.
"It sure does, well, in a way. Let's put it that way, yes and no. I keep it in check so that this baby is ready at any time to launch when Shinra finally gives me what I need," he replied.
I cocked my head.
"And what do you need?" Probably money.
Cid stood tall, and his teeth grinned at me. His stone eyes had a faded glimmer to them, something far away.
"Pay for a mission control team, a makeover for this baby's face, maintenance while I fly her, and efficient Mako supply to push this baby out of its planet momma's belly and into space!"
Yep. Money.
Cid slapped his hands on his narrow hips, and let out a long, tired but happy papa kind of sigh into smoke, his eyes inspecting the walls of his baby like a proud dad.
"Yeah, back in the old days, Shinra used to be a weapons manufacturer for that good-for-nothin war. Well, they managed to make a rocket engine. They put a lot of money into the Space Program, and prototype after prototype, we finally got it right. You're in rocket Shinra No. 26! And they picked the best pilot in the world to fly it!"
Cid jabbed a dirty thump to his chest.
"Me!" And he grinned like a superhero, ready for his camera shot.
I bit my lower lip.
He then sighed, almost like he wanted to dive, head first, into the grids and inside the dead engines and pipes, hide in there forever.
More smoke and story.
"Yeah, launch day finally came. I was going to launch my baby into space, to be the first man to do it!" He snapped his teeth together, fists out and hopeful eyes up at nothing, but then he sank again, just as fast.
He kicked at a crunched can and let it skitter away as he spat, "But that fuckin Shera had to go and mess everything up! Because of HER, I had to fail the launch. Since then, Shinra's ass has been too tight to even consider squeezing out another launch. They told me, over and over, just wait a while. But then they began to focus on where the money goes: Fucking Mako. They pushed aside the Space Program, got that fucking perverted fat ass, Palmer, to advocate for my shit in the background, but all he's been doing is just leaving me in the dark. Shinra too busy with making more and more Mako. Argh!" Cid slammed his boot over another can, and squished it into a metal plate.
He gave me a smirk with a sharp turn of his head, ash spilling from his cigarette until it was too short to stay lit.
"That's why it's a huge ass deal for Rufus to come in today. The new President, young, full of hope, getting married to you, honey cheeks. He's our best chance! He has to put the project forward! That's why he's coming here. So, when I saw you, I'd hope he would be with you."
Cid pulled out a wrinkled packet of cigs and popped another in his mouth, coughing as he struggled to light it with a match. He tossed his old cigarette and defused match down below in between the grids. I gasped, afraid there would be an explosion next to the oxygen tanks below us.
"Isn't this rocket built too close to town to consider having it launch? What about the homes?" I asked.
Cid shrugged.
"Not my fault we decided to build our place around the rocket. It's our home. We didn't want Shinra to tear it down, so we built new homes around it, to protect it. We were aware of the consequences," he replied, still struggling to light his cigarette.
I didn't want to, but he was going to smoke anyway, so I lifted an open palm, and a tiny flame appeared, hovering over it. Cid reeled back for a second, blinking at my magic with a drunken stare. But then he just shrugged, and took the tiny flame to the end of his cigarette.
"Thanks," he grumbled, and inhaled the lovely chemicals into his lungs, gladly to be killing himself slowly. He admired the high ceiling, and smoke trailed from his nostrils.
"I feel like this rocket. I'm tilting a little, more and more each day. It makes me wonder when I will fall. After I have thousands of these?" He glanced down at the cigarette in between his fingers. He slipped it back into his mouth like it didn't matter.
"Or when Shinra stab me in the back one last fucking time? Only so many fuckin stab wounds a guy can take, holy fuck," he mumbled, his cigarette garbling his words.
Cloud sighed, trying very hard not to yawn. He coughed into a fist and cleared his throat.
"Lovely story," he commented dryly. Cid chuckled.
"Just tell me what the fuck you want then," the pilot dared, looking down at Cloud with his stone eyes.
"We would like to borrow your plane," Cloud approached firmly, determined to get us out of here before Rufus were to show up.
But Cid began to laugh. He coughed in between bursts of laughter as he held his cigarette in his hand, and smacked a hand across his thigh. His smoke and cackling spread in the air, traveling through the grids and against the walls, stretching further and further until there was a tear in his eye.
"Oh man, that was good. Are you out of your fucking ass mind, porcupine? That plane is mine. I use it when I need off this fucking place from time to time, or to fly Shinra soldiers to edges of Wutai."
I shrank a little while Cloud held back his aggression, but his eyes swam in it, and his muscular arms tensed.
"Then, you take us. We're looking for an island, plus an artifact-"
"Kid, just shut it. You're not borrowing my plane, and I'm not flying you two anywhere. Once Rufus gets here and funds my Space Program again, I'm gonna be too fucking busy to fly anyone anywhere except this baby to outer space!"
Cloud simmered while I tried to find a way to pursue Cid to bend, even a little.
A joke or pun?
"Dude, are you wearing space pants? Because your butt looks out of this world!" I squeaked. I totally stole that joke from a cartoon. My lips widened in a grin, ready for the laughs. Any takers?
Silence.
I frowned.
Cloud sighed, hands over his face to hide from me.
"Come on, Aqua. Let's go," he groaned. But I didn't budge, too busy trying to come up with another joke while Cid just gave me a dumbfounded look.
"Hey, why don't we leave Cid be? After all, he needs some SPACE! Ha!" I tried.
Still silence.
Cloud grabbed my hand and yanked me along.
"Come on," he grunted.
I sighed, letting him drag me out until we had to climb a few ladders to reach for the door. In the midst of all the that, a mix cry of hacking and laughing shattered the quiet air, startling us and the whole rocket. I let out a hidden smile, glad that Cid finally laughed.
"What? He won't let you?" Tifa asked, sitting in the tavern with Vincent. I was really shocked to find him accompanying her, a glass of red wine next to him while Tifa was on her third pint of beer. I never saw him as the social type, but here I was, sitting across from him and blinking at his gold claws rapping on the table.
"Just steal it anyway," Tifa spat, a fist on the table to shake it.
Glasses trembled.
Cloud and I stiffened at our bench.
Vincent cleared his throat. "Perhaps, talk to the pilot's companion. She may be of more help," he suggested flatly.
Cloud scoffed.
"We should be leaving," he hissed, kicking Vincent's idea to the curb. But I rebelled Cloud's blunt demand with, "I would like to talk to Shera again, at least to get a better idea on how to get on Cid's good side. Cloud, this is the only plane we've found, and it may be the only one in the whole world. We can't give up and just leave because we're running from Rufus."
Cloud sighed into his hands.
The tavern was lightly crowded, with kind folk muttering softly in between eats and drinks. But their eyes wandered to our table, burning holes in my back.
"I'm not running," Cloud clarified. He had that razor-sharp look again, a faded glimmer of Mako and thirst in those burning eyes lying in between his fingers when he whispered, "I don't want to see the other one."
A jolt shuttered behind my breast, taking back a breath.
Of course. Cloud had sparred Isaac's life the last they dueled. I was certain the Mako enhanced fighter wouldn't hold back if they were to cross paths again.
"Way to drag the mood, Cloud," Tifa grumbled, and took another large gulp until she finished her third glass.
He threw her that same gaze, and she stilled in her seat, head slowly dropping to get away from such a look.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted, more voices, excitement.
"His helicopter is heading this way!" A man bellowed through the doorway.
I jolted off the bench.
"We don't have much time," I stammered, ready to visit Shera to try to pursue her about the plane.
"I'll come, too," Cloud joined, getting up.
Vincent twirled his wine glass in his golden claw, its stem held softly between hard fingers, and then he eyed Tifa.
"Better to go help than just drink?" He asked her.
Tifa scoffed and threw ferocious red eyes at him, a similar color to his.
"Who are you, my shoulder angel? How ironic, don't you think?" She hissed, and looked him up and down.
Vincent didn't even blink nor stir. He simply replied, "Then, enjoy your solitude." With that, he stood smoothly, and began to leave the table to join me and Cloud.
The three of us were about to exit, when Tifa's voice prompt us to turn.
"All right! I'm coming too," she stated, not looking at any of us, and crossed her arms under her breasts.
"How bad could it be?" She added.
We piled outside. Onlookers gawked over the far plains. I stared just before Mt. Nibel's faded blue mountains in the background. There, floating as a tiny black dot, was Rufus's helicopter. It reflected the noon sun's rays, throwing back a glimmer in my eyes. Watching the chopper inch closer and closer was a countdown to trouble. I squinted away from it, and gasped, "We need to find Shera!"
I knocked a little too hurriedly on the door, when Shera opened it with caution.
"Oh, it's you, Aqua. Please, come inside. I'm always honored to have you and your guard in our home. Oh, but who are these two?" She fixed her glasses to get a better look behind me, and squinted up at Vincent's height. Her lips shook slightly.
"This is Vincent, don't worry, he won't bite," I chimed, not intending to make it sound like a pun. Cloud sighed next to me while Vincent stabbed the back of my head with his glare.
Tifa raised a gloved hand up. "And I'm Tifa. We're...friends."
Shera blinked at all of us, probably afraid we were going to gang up on her, but then another voice made us all gasp, breaking the group apart.
"Shera?! What are you doing leaving them in the doorway?! Open up, and let us all in, and make some god damn fucking tea!"
Cid pushed his way through, passing a shaky Shera with her hand up to her lips.
"Yes sir! Please, you four, come on in. I'll make some tea," she quipped.
The four of us exchanged looks, wondering now if it was a good idea to even walk in. Even Vincent seemed startled by Cid's presence, the pilot another beast entirely.
We entered a wide open living room, a green sofa to one wall, and a small dining table in the center over a faded rug. Upon each table, laid ashtrays, clean. But Cid already spoiled one when he flicked a dying cigarette into it, and pulled out another, falling into a coughing fit as he lit it.
"I'm gonna go change for this kid, Rufus. You all, make yourselves at home, whatever," he growled, and disappeared into a hall.
The white walls had been stained slightly yellow, reminding me of the shop in Nibelheim. All of that cigarette smoke. There was no getting away from it, no matter which cushion I sat in or what part of the room I wandered to. Mako pipes cut through the walls and into the wood floor towards the kitchen counter. Vincent and Tifa sat at the small round table, while Shera nervously laid out a bowl of sugar and a small pitcher of cream.
"I hope you like black tea," she fretted, her hands shaking as they set a kettle on the stove. The Mako pipes hummed, sending in the energy to heat the appliance. My stomach twisted just thinking about the souls sucked up and screaming through the pipes, lost forever as nothing but voltage to run heat. I looked away, shoving the dark thoughts aside, and glanced at the framed photos on the walls to try to calm my nerves.
Sepia photos.
A smiling little boy stood alongside a clean-looking man with a tan, a device with wings sitting behind them. I pointed to the boy, and asked Shera, "Is that Cid?"
"Hmm?" She looked away from the tea box, and glanced up at the photograph. She quickly looked away.
"That, it is," and said no more, her shoulders sinking. Cloud eyed another framed photo, his hand under his chin.
"And this one must be when they started building the rocket. I mean, at least, the prototype, maybe?" He guessed. I peered over his shoulder, spotting the skeletons of a soon-to-be rocket being assembled near a grove of cut down trees. Shera wobbled over the table, setting tea cups with little saucers out. The cups shook, glass tinkling from her squirming hands.
"Ah, yes. The captain has been with the rocket project since he was twenty. And has seen it grow and become something of a lifelong dream for him," she began.
Tifa gave the small woman a fragile look.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you deal with that guy? He seems..." Tifa couldn't finish, and she didn't have to; Shera's eyes showed she knew already.
"No, no, he's always like this, but I don't mind." She tried to smile as she brought over a large porcelain pot of hot tea. Cloud and I took our seats, and Shera poured as carefully as she could.
"Did he say you could use his plane?" She asked all of us. We shook our heads, and she sighed tiredly.
"I see..."
Cid's coughing in the background startled all of us, and he marched out, dressed in a cleaner shirt and a dark jean jacket. Smoke clouds followed wherever he went, and he glared at Shera.
"Where's my fucking cup?"
She gasped, and fetched for it from the kitchen counter.
"Here it is!" And gave it to him. He took his large mug and sipped it, said nothing about it, and took another sip, that and puffing on his cigarette. I wondered if the man had any tastebuds left.
"I'm gonna be in my office for a bit, trying to organize my notes and proposals for the President," he grumbled, and then he coughed as his heavy steps faded. A door slammed. I jumped.
"Gods, what an ass," I blurted. Tifa gasped, Cloud's eyes widened, and Vincent stayed quiet.
Shera gasped, something I didn't expect from her, and took a stool to sit with us.
"Oh my Planet, no. He's not an ass. The Captain has every right to be this way towards me," she justified.
We all eyed her.
"Why would you even say that?" Cloud pried.
Shera looked down to her tea cup, not really paying much attention to it, but it warmed her fingers. I sipped mine plain, and accidentally let it burn my tongue.
"It's all because of my stupid mistake. I'm the one who took away the Captain's dreams," she muttered, gazing into the dark brown liquid of her tea. Memories resurfaced, floating in there.
"What happened?" Tifa encouraged.
Shera squeezed her hands around her cup.
"It all started two years ago..."
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