"The Headless Aftermath and Other Rats in the Sun"
A piece of prose by
"The phoenix is down," Phoenix Down.
"Chaos is a friend of mine." (Bob Dylan)
It was a lazy... lazy day.
Not that anyone was complaining.
The lazier, the better.
...
Who would argue that?
Cloud sighed.
It was hot, too.
Lazy and hot.
He loved Costa del Sol.
His skin was no longer pasty and pale; it was now a crispy, healthy, tan.
He has given next to no thought about the events five years ago that lead him to early retirement, fame, and many, many relaxing days underneath weeks of perfect weather.
He sucked on a chilled bottle of hard lemonade.
Sigh.
Hot. Just the way he liked it.
Lazy, and hot.
~
"Oh, I'm setting my watch... alright? Ok. GO!"
The two children set the turtles down.
They sat there.
The two children began to scream and holler.
Tifa laughed.
It had been five years since the incident with the meter. That's all it was to her- and that's what she called it. "The Incident."
It brought her a little money, and a little press.
After it all happened, she didn't even consider going back to Midgar.
She never wanted to work in a bar again.
So moved back to her hometown, and currently works in a daycare center.
She doesn't want to work there forever, though.
She considered going back to school- but Shin-Ra runs most of the good Universities- and their future is still unstable.
~
The world's economy would collapse if Shin-Ra went under. No one wanted that to happen, exactly. They just opted for things to be ran differently. After, "The Incident," many scandals came to surface.
After Rufus died, nearly his whole staff was replaced.
Scarlet was said to have been sleeping with Hidegger.
(Tifa found THAT especially funny.) Palmer was embezzling money out of the non existent "Space Program".
Reeve, AKA Cait Sith, was promoted, and became head of the new, "Shin-Ra Toy Department."
The Office of the Turks was disbanded on new found morality issues.
(Only rumors follow of what is left of them. Tseng is especially a legend- saying he- in fact- wasn't at all dead. He was supposedly seen at a local Indian casino with Elvis and a space alien. They played poker together.)
Hojo was arrested for the trial and case of Sephiroth. Human experimentations had recently became illegal after "The Incident," as so creating a new Sephiroth would be impossible.
He was set out on death row. He was found guilty for over two dozen accounts of "inhumane human experimentations." The date for his death is ironically October 13th.
~
Barret wanted a descent life for his adopted daughter, Marlene.
He bought a house in Kalm with the money that was given and left over from "The Incident." He, like Tifa, wanted to get away from the slums of Midgar.
"It ain't no descent place to be raisin' a kid."
It was important to him that she had better education opportunities than he had as a boy.
He and Tifa are closer than ever.
Phone calls, letters, and visits are quite commonplace.
Marlene- once- accidentally called her, "mom." Though, she had always called her, "Aunt Tifa."
Tifa only wants to be friends.
Friendship is too important to her. Although, Barret once slipped up and nearly told her how he felt about her on a cool Sunday night at Kalm. Marlene was in bed, and the moon was full.
They were sitting on his front porch, and drinking beer and wine coolers. Barret though that he must have had one too many.
~
Cid wonders what happened to Vincent. Cid felt that out of all the bonds he had with everyone that he traveled with- theirs was the greatest. A rapport. An unspoken respect.
And now, he was gone.
"The Incident" changed him. Not completely, because in his book he was the same ol' Cid- but he no longer yelled in anger.
He outwardly respected Sheila.
He listened to her- and everyone- when they spoke.
(And he didn't yell or call them stupid when he disagreed with them.)
Life seemed too important now. He worked, studied, fixed, and built aircrafts in his backyard. He bought the Highwind and kept it in his backyard as his new prized possession.
He thought about building the first small airport in the world right near Rocket Town- if he could ever get the land and zoning rights to clear.
He even announced that he and Sheila were officially dating.
Cid only kept distant relations with everyone he met from, "The Incident."
He ignored the press that often came by. The media found his dreams in building an small time airport intriguing news.
~
Red 13 went back to using his original name. He became a chief at Cosmo Canyon. His grandfather had died a year previous, and never got to visit his becoming a chief ceremony in person.
Nanaki knew he was there in spirit.
~
Yuffie spent only a few months in Wutai after "The Incident"- only, she never called it that.
She and her father broke into a huge argument after she returned home, and she left again to search for materia.
One wonders if her search for materia is merely a cloaked version of her searching for her soul.
Yuffie is of many secrets, and of many fronts.
She would never admit to anything.
She would laugh.
And act immature.
And you would go on your way dismissing her-- without your materia.
~
There were many rumors spread about Vincent.
A week after "The Incident," he appeared on the Conan O'Brian show.
Conan cracked a joke about his mysterious demure.
Conan asked if he was single.
Vincent didn't finish the interview.
He walked off the set, and was never seen nor heard from again.
There have been ballads written about him by lonely women.
They find him tall, dark, and "fucking handsome!"
There was a speculated rumor about him in the movie industry.
"I see it like... like a 'Frankenstein,' meets 'Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde,' film, only- ONLY with more special effects and... uh... let's say that the uh- Lucrecia character is- uh... has bi-sexual tendencies, ok?"
The film was never made. Nearly everyone forgot that Vincent Valentine was one of the heroes that saved the Planet on that fateful day five years ago.
He slept underneath the Shin-Ra mansion for many... many years.
Perhaps forever.
~
Cloud turned over. The sun was starting to set, and all the ice in his drink had melted- watering down the alcohol.
He removed his sun glasses.
People were starting to go home.
He sighed, stood slowly, and stretched.
His back made a brittle noise as it cracked.
He picked up his towel, and his plastic beach chair, and went home to his villa in bare feet.
For a brief, flashing moment, Cloud Strife looked around... and felt lonely.
A piece of prose by
"The phoenix is down," Phoenix Down.
"Chaos is a friend of mine." (Bob Dylan)
It was a lazy... lazy day.
Not that anyone was complaining.
The lazier, the better.
...
Who would argue that?
Cloud sighed.
It was hot, too.
Lazy and hot.
He loved Costa del Sol.
His skin was no longer pasty and pale; it was now a crispy, healthy, tan.
He has given next to no thought about the events five years ago that lead him to early retirement, fame, and many, many relaxing days underneath weeks of perfect weather.
He sucked on a chilled bottle of hard lemonade.
Sigh.
Hot. Just the way he liked it.
Lazy, and hot.
~
"Oh, I'm setting my watch... alright? Ok. GO!"
The two children set the turtles down.
They sat there.
The two children began to scream and holler.
Tifa laughed.
It had been five years since the incident with the meter. That's all it was to her- and that's what she called it. "The Incident."
It brought her a little money, and a little press.
After it all happened, she didn't even consider going back to Midgar.
She never wanted to work in a bar again.
So moved back to her hometown, and currently works in a daycare center.
She doesn't want to work there forever, though.
She considered going back to school- but Shin-Ra runs most of the good Universities- and their future is still unstable.
~
The world's economy would collapse if Shin-Ra went under. No one wanted that to happen, exactly. They just opted for things to be ran differently. After, "The Incident," many scandals came to surface.
After Rufus died, nearly his whole staff was replaced.
Scarlet was said to have been sleeping with Hidegger.
(Tifa found THAT especially funny.) Palmer was embezzling money out of the non existent "Space Program".
Reeve, AKA Cait Sith, was promoted, and became head of the new, "Shin-Ra Toy Department."
The Office of the Turks was disbanded on new found morality issues.
(Only rumors follow of what is left of them. Tseng is especially a legend- saying he- in fact- wasn't at all dead. He was supposedly seen at a local Indian casino with Elvis and a space alien. They played poker together.)
Hojo was arrested for the trial and case of Sephiroth. Human experimentations had recently became illegal after "The Incident," as so creating a new Sephiroth would be impossible.
He was set out on death row. He was found guilty for over two dozen accounts of "inhumane human experimentations." The date for his death is ironically October 13th.
~
Barret wanted a descent life for his adopted daughter, Marlene.
He bought a house in Kalm with the money that was given and left over from "The Incident." He, like Tifa, wanted to get away from the slums of Midgar.
"It ain't no descent place to be raisin' a kid."
It was important to him that she had better education opportunities than he had as a boy.
He and Tifa are closer than ever.
Phone calls, letters, and visits are quite commonplace.
Marlene- once- accidentally called her, "mom." Though, she had always called her, "Aunt Tifa."
Tifa only wants to be friends.
Friendship is too important to her. Although, Barret once slipped up and nearly told her how he felt about her on a cool Sunday night at Kalm. Marlene was in bed, and the moon was full.
They were sitting on his front porch, and drinking beer and wine coolers. Barret though that he must have had one too many.
~
Cid wonders what happened to Vincent. Cid felt that out of all the bonds he had with everyone that he traveled with- theirs was the greatest. A rapport. An unspoken respect.
And now, he was gone.
"The Incident" changed him. Not completely, because in his book he was the same ol' Cid- but he no longer yelled in anger.
He outwardly respected Sheila.
He listened to her- and everyone- when they spoke.
(And he didn't yell or call them stupid when he disagreed with them.)
Life seemed too important now. He worked, studied, fixed, and built aircrafts in his backyard. He bought the Highwind and kept it in his backyard as his new prized possession.
He thought about building the first small airport in the world right near Rocket Town- if he could ever get the land and zoning rights to clear.
He even announced that he and Sheila were officially dating.
Cid only kept distant relations with everyone he met from, "The Incident."
He ignored the press that often came by. The media found his dreams in building an small time airport intriguing news.
~
Red 13 went back to using his original name. He became a chief at Cosmo Canyon. His grandfather had died a year previous, and never got to visit his becoming a chief ceremony in person.
Nanaki knew he was there in spirit.
~
Yuffie spent only a few months in Wutai after "The Incident"- only, she never called it that.
She and her father broke into a huge argument after she returned home, and she left again to search for materia.
One wonders if her search for materia is merely a cloaked version of her searching for her soul.
Yuffie is of many secrets, and of many fronts.
She would never admit to anything.
She would laugh.
And act immature.
And you would go on your way dismissing her-- without your materia.
~
There were many rumors spread about Vincent.
A week after "The Incident," he appeared on the Conan O'Brian show.
Conan cracked a joke about his mysterious demure.
Conan asked if he was single.
Vincent didn't finish the interview.
He walked off the set, and was never seen nor heard from again.
There have been ballads written about him by lonely women.
They find him tall, dark, and "fucking handsome!"
There was a speculated rumor about him in the movie industry.
"I see it like... like a 'Frankenstein,' meets 'Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde,' film, only- ONLY with more special effects and... uh... let's say that the uh- Lucrecia character is- uh... has bi-sexual tendencies, ok?"
The film was never made. Nearly everyone forgot that Vincent Valentine was one of the heroes that saved the Planet on that fateful day five years ago.
He slept underneath the Shin-Ra mansion for many... many years.
Perhaps forever.
~
Cloud turned over. The sun was starting to set, and all the ice in his drink had melted- watering down the alcohol.
He removed his sun glasses.
People were starting to go home.
He sighed, stood slowly, and stretched.
His back made a brittle noise as it cracked.
He picked up his towel, and his plastic beach chair, and went home to his villa in bare feet.
For a brief, flashing moment, Cloud Strife looked around... and felt lonely.