Chapter 41- Future Plans
Later that evening, after Edgar and Terra had left (with Terra forcing Celes to contact her if anything weird happened), Celes and Locke settled themselves at the kitchen table, each with a cup of tea that Locke had made. Celes sat there, staring at her own warped reflection in her cup as Locke stirred his over and over again for no reason. The silence was unbearable, but both of them knew what was on each other's minds. Finally, Locke spoke.
"Are you still worried about that, Celes?"
"Worried about what?"
"Come on, you can't play dumb with me...I mean, you can, but you're not very good at it!" Locke cracked a smile, but Celes just sat there and stared at the tea.
"I am a little worried, ok? It's not a big deal though, you said so yourself...unless, you were lying." Celes' tone was beginning to turn a bit icy, which could scare anyone into telling the truth.
"I wasn't lying." Locke promised. "But maybe when I said we would be ok for 'a while yet' I was exaggerating. I mean, you know, just exactly how long is a while, eh?"
"Well, Locke, please tell me exactly how long a while is, so that we are all on the same page." Celes looked up and stared at him, her blue eyes beginning to have that frozen over look.
"Hmmm....14 days?"
"What!?" Celes gasped, and her eyes flashed. "2 weeks...?"
"Yeah..." Locke bit his lip. "But hey, I won't be going far. I've been planning this trip for a while now. They say Narshe has been hitting a lot of great treasure in the new part of the mines they recently opened up. But, conditions there are so icy and so dangerous, not a lot of people are moving in on it. It's the perfect opportunity for me! And now that we have Alex, I can get there and back home quicker then on foot. The best part is is that Alex is a white chocobo, and those breeds are extremely adapt to cold weather. He'll be able to help me dig around! With Alex, the trip can be cut down drastically...to like, maybe less then a month....!"
"...." Celes sighed and leaned back in her chair. "The mines are dangerous?"
"Only to the inexperienced treasure hunter." Locke winked and leaned back too. "Besides, I kind of had an idea."
"Hmmm?" Celes asked, not warming up to the idea of Locke leaving one bit.
"Well, if you are worried about being bored, you could just come with me!" Locke smiled. "Either you could go with me to the mines, or you can come with me to Narshe, and we could just hang out in the inn at night together after I'm done. I thought it would be kinda romantic."
Celes smiled back and leaned up against the table. "Really? But won't it cost more for me to come too?"
"No, I mean, it's not like we'll need seperate rooms for the inn or anything." Locke grinned. "We can check in as Mr. and Mrs. Cole, you can relax during the day, and then at night..." Celes blushed as Locke leaned over the table and whispered something in an excited tone.
"Sounds tempting." Celes giggled, and drummed her fingers on the table. "I suppose if you really want me to come..."
"More then anything!" Locke said, and clasped his hands over hers. "Looking forward to seeing you at night sure would make me want to work faster..." He leaned in and kissed her on the tip of her nose.
"Alright! Then I'll come too!" Celes exclaimed, and sighed happily. "I'm so glad this is going to work out. I really...just didn't want to be separated from you so quickly after we got married."
"Awww, I understand, and I feel the same way." Locke said, and squeezed her hands. "Which brings me to another subject...What was up with Terra today?"
"Uh...honestly, I can't tell you." Celes said, not knowing what to say. "It was kinda weird...but, I don't doubt her on anything she said to me."
"You mean, that she was worried about you?"
"Well, that, and the fact that she thought something might have happened. Terra has good instincts."
"I know she does Celes...I was with her the most when we were fighting Kefka, you know. But nothing happened at all."
"Well, I'm still going to just be a little more careful." Celes said, and stood up. "Speaking of which...I need to take a bath."
"Speaking of which?"! Locke asked, and laughed a little. "Sometimes, you make no sense what-so-ever."
"I know." Celes smiled, and left the kitchen. Locke stared after her for a moment and looked down at the table.
For a moment...she just looked like she was about to disappear. He thought to himself, his heart skipping a beat.
**********
"It's late." Celes noted as she climbed out of the bathtub and reached out for a towel. The small clock on the bathroom wall read 10:00 exactly. She was guessing Locke had already fallen asleep for the night. She had not meant to stay in the bathroom so long herself, but she found that she had a lot of things on her mind that just needed thought about on her own.
Wrapping the towel around her body, Celes then proceeded to comb her hair. She had to reach up every few minutes and rub away at the steam that was invading her mirror, which was annoying, but until Locke could get a fan in the bathroom, she would have to deal with it. Besides, she had certainly been in worse bathroom environments. Being a general in the Empire's army did not always have its perks.
Actually, now that she thought back about it, there was nothing good that ever came with it.
"I wonder...what my parents would think of me, right now?" She wondered out loud, peering at herself in the mirror. Of course, that was a silly question. Celes had never known her parents. Celes still wasn't even sure if she HAD any...it was never made clear to her whether she were truly all genetically-engineered in a lab or the result of a couple's love 18 years ago. Her fair skin, honey-blonde hair, and ice blue eyes were either God's creation or a scientist's idea. The question had never really phased her at any point of her life...especially now, since she knew there were more important things to think about. She would probably never know the answer anyway...and anyone who did know was probably dead and long burried by now. That's just how it was.
Setting the comb down, Celes retreated into her and Locke's bedroom to change into her pajamas, and was surprised to see that Locke wasn't there. She peered out the window to look for him, and spotted him playing with Alex in the backyard. Alex was smiling in his own chocobo-like way, and Locke was laughing and feeding him treats every few minutes after Alex did a particullarly interesting trick. Celes sighed and pressed her forehead against the window, her focus on the two blurring.
Celes began to wonder about Locke's parents too, even though she knew they were gone. She had heard him talking about them on Setzer's airship a long time ago with Terra. She wasn't really supposed to be in the conversation...she just happened to be sitting there, polishing her sword while they were talking. She remembered feeling very left out at the time, but she also remembered not caring.
"Locke...arn't your mom and dad worried about you?" Terra had asked in her more naive voice at the time.
"I'm sure they are, up in that beautiful place in the sky." Locke replied, and Terra blinked.
"Your parents are dead?"
"Yeah. They died when I was really young. You see, my mom had troubles giving birth to me. She survived, but she was really sick afterwards. The doctors didn't know what to do for her, because it was something that just had to do with her body naturally, and not any disease they knew about. My dad took care of her the best he could, but when I was about 2, she passed away in her sleep..."
"Oh Locke..."
"My dad tried taking care of me on his own, but it was hard, because he still had to work to support us. So, I stayed with my father's mother, my Grandma Cole, a lot. She always told me wonderful stories about both my mom and my dad when they were young, because they were childhood friends and sweethearts. So, I really felt like I knew my mom, and I loved her as much as if she were still with us. But, something Grandma Cole did not tell me until I was much older was that after my mom's death, my dad got sick too...sick with depression. My mom's death had really hit him hard...and even though he loved me, he found it hard to go on without the woman who had been by his side his entire life. My dad died on my third birthday, because he let himself get ill..."
"....."
"So I stayed with my Grandma Cole until I turned 21. I had to move away from Kohlingen then, because life was getting hectic. I had gotten involved with the Returners...Rachel had had her accident and wasn't speaking to me...the only person who seemed to care was my Grandma. She told me to go out and let the world know what I stood for as a new member of the Returners, and to remember to always fight for the weak. I received word the next day while in Narshe...that she had passed away also. But I wasn't depressed...I decided to make sure she did exactly as she had asked me."
Locke had looked up and noticed Celes staring at him. She turned away snottily and stood up, leaving the deck.
Celes sighed and lifted her forehead from the cool glass when she heard footsteps behind her.
"What are you doing there?" Locke asked. Celes turned around.
"Thinking." She replied bluntly. "I didn't see you come in."
"Thinking? Or worrying?" Locke joked. "You're going to get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that. Didn't you know that smiling is good exercise for your pretty little face?"
"Oh really?" Celes asked, and smiled brightly. Locke laughed and opened his arms. Celes ran over and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes as he gently rubbed her back.
"So...were you planning on just sleeping in this tonight?" Locke asked, and poked at the towel. Celes remembered that she still had not changed and shook her head.
"Of course not! It's all wet. I have to still change."
"Well, do you really want to go to bed so early?" Locke had that sexy grin on his face as he said that, making Celes' knees go weak.
"Hmm...what did you have in mind?" Celes asked, and squealed as he whirled her around and tossed her on the bed, making her bounce a bit as she struggled to keep her towel from flying. She was laughing, however, by the time he had joined her side and wrapped his arms around her.
"You made that too easy for me. Some soldier you turned out to be, Celes Cole."
"Well...I have yet to see if I am a better lover than a fighter, Locke Cole." Celes smiled softly as Locke gently kissed her neck.
"Let me answer that for you." He murmured, and lifted his head, smiling at her. Celes reached up and ran a hand through his hair as he lowered his lips to give her a passionate kiss, while bringing his hands to the top of her towel, sliding it down.
Later that evening, after Edgar and Terra had left (with Terra forcing Celes to contact her if anything weird happened), Celes and Locke settled themselves at the kitchen table, each with a cup of tea that Locke had made. Celes sat there, staring at her own warped reflection in her cup as Locke stirred his over and over again for no reason. The silence was unbearable, but both of them knew what was on each other's minds. Finally, Locke spoke.
"Are you still worried about that, Celes?"
"Worried about what?"
"Come on, you can't play dumb with me...I mean, you can, but you're not very good at it!" Locke cracked a smile, but Celes just sat there and stared at the tea.
"I am a little worried, ok? It's not a big deal though, you said so yourself...unless, you were lying." Celes' tone was beginning to turn a bit icy, which could scare anyone into telling the truth.
"I wasn't lying." Locke promised. "But maybe when I said we would be ok for 'a while yet' I was exaggerating. I mean, you know, just exactly how long is a while, eh?"
"Well, Locke, please tell me exactly how long a while is, so that we are all on the same page." Celes looked up and stared at him, her blue eyes beginning to have that frozen over look.
"Hmmm....14 days?"
"What!?" Celes gasped, and her eyes flashed. "2 weeks...?"
"Yeah..." Locke bit his lip. "But hey, I won't be going far. I've been planning this trip for a while now. They say Narshe has been hitting a lot of great treasure in the new part of the mines they recently opened up. But, conditions there are so icy and so dangerous, not a lot of people are moving in on it. It's the perfect opportunity for me! And now that we have Alex, I can get there and back home quicker then on foot. The best part is is that Alex is a white chocobo, and those breeds are extremely adapt to cold weather. He'll be able to help me dig around! With Alex, the trip can be cut down drastically...to like, maybe less then a month....!"
"...." Celes sighed and leaned back in her chair. "The mines are dangerous?"
"Only to the inexperienced treasure hunter." Locke winked and leaned back too. "Besides, I kind of had an idea."
"Hmmm?" Celes asked, not warming up to the idea of Locke leaving one bit.
"Well, if you are worried about being bored, you could just come with me!" Locke smiled. "Either you could go with me to the mines, or you can come with me to Narshe, and we could just hang out in the inn at night together after I'm done. I thought it would be kinda romantic."
Celes smiled back and leaned up against the table. "Really? But won't it cost more for me to come too?"
"No, I mean, it's not like we'll need seperate rooms for the inn or anything." Locke grinned. "We can check in as Mr. and Mrs. Cole, you can relax during the day, and then at night..." Celes blushed as Locke leaned over the table and whispered something in an excited tone.
"Sounds tempting." Celes giggled, and drummed her fingers on the table. "I suppose if you really want me to come..."
"More then anything!" Locke said, and clasped his hands over hers. "Looking forward to seeing you at night sure would make me want to work faster..." He leaned in and kissed her on the tip of her nose.
"Alright! Then I'll come too!" Celes exclaimed, and sighed happily. "I'm so glad this is going to work out. I really...just didn't want to be separated from you so quickly after we got married."
"Awww, I understand, and I feel the same way." Locke said, and squeezed her hands. "Which brings me to another subject...What was up with Terra today?"
"Uh...honestly, I can't tell you." Celes said, not knowing what to say. "It was kinda weird...but, I don't doubt her on anything she said to me."
"You mean, that she was worried about you?"
"Well, that, and the fact that she thought something might have happened. Terra has good instincts."
"I know she does Celes...I was with her the most when we were fighting Kefka, you know. But nothing happened at all."
"Well, I'm still going to just be a little more careful." Celes said, and stood up. "Speaking of which...I need to take a bath."
"Speaking of which?"! Locke asked, and laughed a little. "Sometimes, you make no sense what-so-ever."
"I know." Celes smiled, and left the kitchen. Locke stared after her for a moment and looked down at the table.
For a moment...she just looked like she was about to disappear. He thought to himself, his heart skipping a beat.
**********
"It's late." Celes noted as she climbed out of the bathtub and reached out for a towel. The small clock on the bathroom wall read 10:00 exactly. She was guessing Locke had already fallen asleep for the night. She had not meant to stay in the bathroom so long herself, but she found that she had a lot of things on her mind that just needed thought about on her own.
Wrapping the towel around her body, Celes then proceeded to comb her hair. She had to reach up every few minutes and rub away at the steam that was invading her mirror, which was annoying, but until Locke could get a fan in the bathroom, she would have to deal with it. Besides, she had certainly been in worse bathroom environments. Being a general in the Empire's army did not always have its perks.
Actually, now that she thought back about it, there was nothing good that ever came with it.
"I wonder...what my parents would think of me, right now?" She wondered out loud, peering at herself in the mirror. Of course, that was a silly question. Celes had never known her parents. Celes still wasn't even sure if she HAD any...it was never made clear to her whether she were truly all genetically-engineered in a lab or the result of a couple's love 18 years ago. Her fair skin, honey-blonde hair, and ice blue eyes were either God's creation or a scientist's idea. The question had never really phased her at any point of her life...especially now, since she knew there were more important things to think about. She would probably never know the answer anyway...and anyone who did know was probably dead and long burried by now. That's just how it was.
Setting the comb down, Celes retreated into her and Locke's bedroom to change into her pajamas, and was surprised to see that Locke wasn't there. She peered out the window to look for him, and spotted him playing with Alex in the backyard. Alex was smiling in his own chocobo-like way, and Locke was laughing and feeding him treats every few minutes after Alex did a particullarly interesting trick. Celes sighed and pressed her forehead against the window, her focus on the two blurring.
Celes began to wonder about Locke's parents too, even though she knew they were gone. She had heard him talking about them on Setzer's airship a long time ago with Terra. She wasn't really supposed to be in the conversation...she just happened to be sitting there, polishing her sword while they were talking. She remembered feeling very left out at the time, but she also remembered not caring.
"Locke...arn't your mom and dad worried about you?" Terra had asked in her more naive voice at the time.
"I'm sure they are, up in that beautiful place in the sky." Locke replied, and Terra blinked.
"Your parents are dead?"
"Yeah. They died when I was really young. You see, my mom had troubles giving birth to me. She survived, but she was really sick afterwards. The doctors didn't know what to do for her, because it was something that just had to do with her body naturally, and not any disease they knew about. My dad took care of her the best he could, but when I was about 2, she passed away in her sleep..."
"Oh Locke..."
"My dad tried taking care of me on his own, but it was hard, because he still had to work to support us. So, I stayed with my father's mother, my Grandma Cole, a lot. She always told me wonderful stories about both my mom and my dad when they were young, because they were childhood friends and sweethearts. So, I really felt like I knew my mom, and I loved her as much as if she were still with us. But, something Grandma Cole did not tell me until I was much older was that after my mom's death, my dad got sick too...sick with depression. My mom's death had really hit him hard...and even though he loved me, he found it hard to go on without the woman who had been by his side his entire life. My dad died on my third birthday, because he let himself get ill..."
"....."
"So I stayed with my Grandma Cole until I turned 21. I had to move away from Kohlingen then, because life was getting hectic. I had gotten involved with the Returners...Rachel had had her accident and wasn't speaking to me...the only person who seemed to care was my Grandma. She told me to go out and let the world know what I stood for as a new member of the Returners, and to remember to always fight for the weak. I received word the next day while in Narshe...that she had passed away also. But I wasn't depressed...I decided to make sure she did exactly as she had asked me."
Locke had looked up and noticed Celes staring at him. She turned away snottily and stood up, leaving the deck.
Celes sighed and lifted her forehead from the cool glass when she heard footsteps behind her.
"What are you doing there?" Locke asked. Celes turned around.
"Thinking." She replied bluntly. "I didn't see you come in."
"Thinking? Or worrying?" Locke joked. "You're going to get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that. Didn't you know that smiling is good exercise for your pretty little face?"
"Oh really?" Celes asked, and smiled brightly. Locke laughed and opened his arms. Celes ran over and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes as he gently rubbed her back.
"So...were you planning on just sleeping in this tonight?" Locke asked, and poked at the towel. Celes remembered that she still had not changed and shook her head.
"Of course not! It's all wet. I have to still change."
"Well, do you really want to go to bed so early?" Locke had that sexy grin on his face as he said that, making Celes' knees go weak.
"Hmm...what did you have in mind?" Celes asked, and squealed as he whirled her around and tossed her on the bed, making her bounce a bit as she struggled to keep her towel from flying. She was laughing, however, by the time he had joined her side and wrapped his arms around her.
"You made that too easy for me. Some soldier you turned out to be, Celes Cole."
"Well...I have yet to see if I am a better lover than a fighter, Locke Cole." Celes smiled softly as Locke gently kissed her neck.
"Let me answer that for you." He murmured, and lifted his head, smiling at her. Celes reached up and ran a hand through his hair as he lowered his lips to give her a passionate kiss, while bringing his hands to the top of her towel, sliding it down.