The Headless Aftermath and Other Rats in the Sun
A piece of prose by your local Phoenix Down
"Calm down, Jeeezus, calm down, kid. 'S allright. Yur gunna... get elected, all right."
"I know." Dante sucked on his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "I know I will be."
"Then, your gunna go through wit' what we talked about, .....right?" The large man in the cowboy hat eyed Julius while twirling whisky around in his small shot glass.
"...Yes." Julius muttered as he lowered his eyes.
"Good. Then, we ain't go no problem."
"But. Uh, do you mind if I ask you something?" Julius looked up, and grinned like a feline.
"Sure, go ahead." The huge, greasy man answered as he downed the shot glass of whiskey, and patted his pockets- in search of a cigar.
"What IS down there, in the Shin-Ra basement, eh? Down in the chamber room you were telling me about." Dante asked as he smoothed back his bleach-blonde hair.
The man paused as he found a fat, brown, sweet smelling cigar and pushed it between his thin lips.
"Dat's my business, not yours, kid. We made a deal, I gave your yur money. I don' have t' tell ya nuthin about MY business. And..." The huge man in the cowboy hat slid out a silver pistol from the inside pocket of his white suit-coat.
"If you keep asking me, kid, yur gunna find this reaaaally close t' yer heart." The fat man winked, and replaced it into his pocket.
Julius glanced at it, flashed a sleek smile, and then returned to watching the TV screen where the polls were coming in.
~
"Wait a second..."
"What?" Yuffie impatiently asked as she spun around.
Vincent was lagging behind.
"Nature calls. Will you... turn around, please?"
Yuffie rolled her eyes and nodded, and only heard what sounded like water being poured onto the grass.
A moment later, Vincent returned.
"Feel better?"
"Much." He replied.
They walked a great distance in silent after that.
"Are we... getting close to Rocket Town?" Yuffie stopped in her tracks and asked.
The sun was closing down and settling on the horizon.
The sky was shutting off as if the world were a great super market. Colors were putting things away onto shelves and the neon lights were shutting off.
The 'open' sign was slowly getting flipped over as Yuffie wrapped her arms about her chest and felt the chill of night air being pushed around her.
"I don't know, I thought YOU were the one paying attention." Vincent stopped, and glanced around. A thought came to him.
"Are we... heading in the right direction? You know that I haven't been out of the basement in years. I don't know these parts of the land."
"OH GREAT!" Yuffie exclaimed, throwing her arms down. "We're LOST!"
"Shh. Calm down. Keep your voice low. We don't know what creatures are around here."
"Great! Just GREAT! Just PEACHY! I'm lost with the most boring stick-in-the-mud in the universe!"
"Hey. Hey! Calm down! Just wait here, and I'll go find some firewood." It was a sad excuse, but Vincent just wanted a moment away from her.
Yuffie began to put, and fell onto her bottom. She sat upon a rock with her face leaning against her hand.
She kicked the nearest pebble.
Vincent wandered off into the woods, and with his good arm, he picked up small sticks and twigs.
~
"Sweetie! Ciiiid? Cid??" Sheila called as she stuck her head out the window.
"What!" Cid barked back from his backyard. He stood, and wiped the oil from his hands. Beside him, in his backyard, was a small pink airplane. It's engine sputtered lightly, and it's silver propellers choked and heaved.
"I was workin' on the Tiny Bronco, Sheila, this better be important!" He yelled over the noise as he slipped a cigarette into his mouth.
"The polls are in, I just thought I'd tell you!"
"#%$@ Jesus!!" Cid dropped his oil-covered rag onto the grass, and ran inside.
He accidentally pushed Sheila out of the way as he dove in front of the TV screen.
"Damnit! Damnit! %$^%#@ DAMNIT!"
"What? What?" Sheila implored as she got back to her feet.
"WHO won!?" She asked as she pushed her small silver glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
"Guess..." Cid muttered.
~
"What, Tifa?"
"I've been doing a ton of thinking. You know how I've been spending a lot of time with Barret?"
"Yeah," Cloud answered coldly. "You don't even bother calling me anymore."
"Well, I've realized something." Tifa paced back and forth as she spoke. The telephone cord tangled around her ankles.
"What's that?" Cloud asked as he lay upon his bed in Costa del Sol. He bounced a tennis ball off the ceiling as he spoke- and caught it in mid-air.
"That... that... I... uhm. Miss you. Really, really, really badly."
"YOU WHAT?" Cloud sat up. The tennis ball came down and hit him on the head. "Ow. Damnit."
"What?" Tifa asked.
"Nothing." Cloud rubbed his head.
"That I miss you, Cloud, and I... still have... those... feelings for you we talked about a long time ago. That's all. If you don't want to see me, or talk to me anymore, that's fine. I understand."
"No. NO! Don't hang up, Tifa. I... uhm. Listen, can I call you back, later?"
"Sure."
"When will you be home?"
"I don't know. I'm still at Barret's."
"Oh."
"Try next week sometime, ok?" As Tifa spoke, she did not see the tiny eyes that peered at her from behind the wall of the darkened living room. Barret blinked, and sighed silently. Slowly, he walked away. He heard too much.
"Ok. Uh, ok. I'll talk to you, then, ok?" Cloud spoke cheerfully.
"Uh, ok, Bye, Cloud."
*Click.
*Click.
Tifa smiled, and poured herself some water.
A piece of prose by your local Phoenix Down
"Calm down, Jeeezus, calm down, kid. 'S allright. Yur gunna... get elected, all right."
"I know." Dante sucked on his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "I know I will be."
"Then, your gunna go through wit' what we talked about, .....right?" The large man in the cowboy hat eyed Julius while twirling whisky around in his small shot glass.
"...Yes." Julius muttered as he lowered his eyes.
"Good. Then, we ain't go no problem."
"But. Uh, do you mind if I ask you something?" Julius looked up, and grinned like a feline.
"Sure, go ahead." The huge, greasy man answered as he downed the shot glass of whiskey, and patted his pockets- in search of a cigar.
"What IS down there, in the Shin-Ra basement, eh? Down in the chamber room you were telling me about." Dante asked as he smoothed back his bleach-blonde hair.
The man paused as he found a fat, brown, sweet smelling cigar and pushed it between his thin lips.
"Dat's my business, not yours, kid. We made a deal, I gave your yur money. I don' have t' tell ya nuthin about MY business. And..." The huge man in the cowboy hat slid out a silver pistol from the inside pocket of his white suit-coat.
"If you keep asking me, kid, yur gunna find this reaaaally close t' yer heart." The fat man winked, and replaced it into his pocket.
Julius glanced at it, flashed a sleek smile, and then returned to watching the TV screen where the polls were coming in.
~
"Wait a second..."
"What?" Yuffie impatiently asked as she spun around.
Vincent was lagging behind.
"Nature calls. Will you... turn around, please?"
Yuffie rolled her eyes and nodded, and only heard what sounded like water being poured onto the grass.
A moment later, Vincent returned.
"Feel better?"
"Much." He replied.
They walked a great distance in silent after that.
"Are we... getting close to Rocket Town?" Yuffie stopped in her tracks and asked.
The sun was closing down and settling on the horizon.
The sky was shutting off as if the world were a great super market. Colors were putting things away onto shelves and the neon lights were shutting off.
The 'open' sign was slowly getting flipped over as Yuffie wrapped her arms about her chest and felt the chill of night air being pushed around her.
"I don't know, I thought YOU were the one paying attention." Vincent stopped, and glanced around. A thought came to him.
"Are we... heading in the right direction? You know that I haven't been out of the basement in years. I don't know these parts of the land."
"OH GREAT!" Yuffie exclaimed, throwing her arms down. "We're LOST!"
"Shh. Calm down. Keep your voice low. We don't know what creatures are around here."
"Great! Just GREAT! Just PEACHY! I'm lost with the most boring stick-in-the-mud in the universe!"
"Hey. Hey! Calm down! Just wait here, and I'll go find some firewood." It was a sad excuse, but Vincent just wanted a moment away from her.
Yuffie began to put, and fell onto her bottom. She sat upon a rock with her face leaning against her hand.
She kicked the nearest pebble.
Vincent wandered off into the woods, and with his good arm, he picked up small sticks and twigs.
~
"Sweetie! Ciiiid? Cid??" Sheila called as she stuck her head out the window.
"What!" Cid barked back from his backyard. He stood, and wiped the oil from his hands. Beside him, in his backyard, was a small pink airplane. It's engine sputtered lightly, and it's silver propellers choked and heaved.
"I was workin' on the Tiny Bronco, Sheila, this better be important!" He yelled over the noise as he slipped a cigarette into his mouth.
"The polls are in, I just thought I'd tell you!"
"#%$@ Jesus!!" Cid dropped his oil-covered rag onto the grass, and ran inside.
He accidentally pushed Sheila out of the way as he dove in front of the TV screen.
"Damnit! Damnit! %$^%#@ DAMNIT!"
"What? What?" Sheila implored as she got back to her feet.
"WHO won!?" She asked as she pushed her small silver glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
"Guess..." Cid muttered.
~
"What, Tifa?"
"I've been doing a ton of thinking. You know how I've been spending a lot of time with Barret?"
"Yeah," Cloud answered coldly. "You don't even bother calling me anymore."
"Well, I've realized something." Tifa paced back and forth as she spoke. The telephone cord tangled around her ankles.
"What's that?" Cloud asked as he lay upon his bed in Costa del Sol. He bounced a tennis ball off the ceiling as he spoke- and caught it in mid-air.
"That... that... I... uhm. Miss you. Really, really, really badly."
"YOU WHAT?" Cloud sat up. The tennis ball came down and hit him on the head. "Ow. Damnit."
"What?" Tifa asked.
"Nothing." Cloud rubbed his head.
"That I miss you, Cloud, and I... still have... those... feelings for you we talked about a long time ago. That's all. If you don't want to see me, or talk to me anymore, that's fine. I understand."
"No. NO! Don't hang up, Tifa. I... uhm. Listen, can I call you back, later?"
"Sure."
"When will you be home?"
"I don't know. I'm still at Barret's."
"Oh."
"Try next week sometime, ok?" As Tifa spoke, she did not see the tiny eyes that peered at her from behind the wall of the darkened living room. Barret blinked, and sighed silently. Slowly, he walked away. He heard too much.
"Ok. Uh, ok. I'll talk to you, then, ok?" Cloud spoke cheerfully.
"Uh, ok, Bye, Cloud."
*Click.
*Click.
Tifa smiled, and poured herself some water.