Chapter 2: Dreaming of Her
Locke woke up knowing he slept in. He wanted to get up early so he could go. He quickly got dressed and decided to get something to eat later. Just outside the door was a waiting Terra. It seemed like she was there a long time. There were many footprints in the dirt indicating someone was standing there for awhile.
"Oh, Terra, what are you doing here?" Locke asked, smiling at the sight of her.
"Locke! I ... uh ... was going to the store to get some eggs and I ... umm ... saw some birds on your house. Yeah, I saw some cute robins perched on your house up there and, oh, they're gone now." Terra said smiling. "Oh well, I guess I'll go on to the store now. Bye, Locke." Terra said as she was turning to leave.
Locke watched Terra as she was going towards the store. Every now and then, she would turn around as if she lost something and then she would glance back at Locke, probably just to see if she could find what she may have dropped. After looking back a couple of times, she must have gave up because she looked back no more.
"What a woman!" Locke said to himself. "She's got to be the most beautiful woman with green hair. Only if she'd notice me. She would be the perfect person to marry. She's so kind, caring, loyal, and trustworthy. But she's independent now. She don't need me anymore. She can do things all by herself. She don't need me by her side protecting her from every blow. That's my fault because I ignored her after meeting Celes. I shouldn't have done that. That was mean and inconsiderate. No, I shouldn't regret having her being independent. That's exactly what was supposed to happen anyway. I was just by her side 'til she got her memory back and she was a bit stronger."
Locke then thought about what just happened. It was a couple of months ago. Terra was taking a vacation and she decided to visit the 'group.' They all decided to have a mini-reunion in Kohlingen so she wouldn't have to travel so much. That day, the day before Terra was to go back to Mobliz, Locke was depressed. He longed for Terra so much, but she didn't seem interested in him. He decided to go on one of his 'trips.' That way he wasn't there when she left and have to say goodbye or whatever. It turned out to be a lonely trip. He would've preferred someone to be with him, especially her.
Well, now I'm going to move on, Locke thought. No more longing, pining, or whatever it's called. From today on, I'm gonna be a new man.
Locke then put it out of his mind and then ran towards the ship to buy his ticket and enjoy the long boat ride.
Locke was leaving the royal washroom when he heard some voices.
"I can't, Edgar. I just can't love you. Never could and never will," Terra said.
"But, my lady, I'm the only one for you. I'm loveable, kind, loyal, handsome..."
"AND a playboy!" exclaimed Terra.
"I resent that! I haven't had a woman for a week. For me that is a pretty long time. All I can think about is you. So please, accept my offer. Please?"
"Umm ... no!" Terra said firmly.
"Why not? I'm the perfect man for you."
"Well, maybe there's another person in my life."
"Just give me one chance. Come on, I'll take you out to lunch and give you a romantic evening, have a candlelight dinner for two, and finish off the night in my room." Edgar tries to grasp her hand, but she escapes his grasp.
"No, Edgar. I'm not interested." Terra turns to walk away, but Edgar gets in front of her.
Locke, getting sick of Edgar not leaving Terra alone, goes over to rescue her from the perverted king.
"Edgar, can't you see that she doesn't want you!" Locke interrupted.
"Locke, obviously you have been without love for too long. Can't you tell that she's playing hard-to-get," Edgar shot back.
"Edgar, I would never play hard-to-get with you. It would be no fun because you wouldn't get sick of it. Even if I did play hard-to-get, it would not be with you. You're not someone that I can love," Terra explained.
"Damn! I was sure I could win your heart for sure this time, my lady," Edgar said under his breath.
"Edgar, did I just hear you say something bad. And in front of a beautiful, young woman too. How dare you. I'm so sorry that you had to hear that, Terra. I'll make it up to you by ... um ... getting you a ... what do I have here?" Locke wondered. "Ah, a ... cute stuffed moogle."
"Locke! Thank you. It's sooo cute. Just like someone I know ..." Terra said, trailing off. "Well, see you guys later."
Terra ran off down the hall. Locke looked at her gorgeous green hair as it bounced up and down with each step. There was the only woman that could ever compare to Rachel. In their own way, they were both beautiful. No beautiful didn't come close to describe those women. To Locke's knowledge, no word existed to describe them.
Without saying a word to each other, both Locke and Edgar went their separate ways. Locke ended up in one of the many royal guest rooms. Suddenly tired, he lid down without folding back the sheets. He started thinking about Terra, Edgar, the recent events, and what sort of message that he was missing out of all this. Soon, he fell asleep in the middle of all those thoughts.
Locke woke up suddenly, cold. Locke looked around and noticed his window open. "Hey," Locke noticed. "Who opened my bedroom window? And how come I'm not in the Royal bedroom?" Then Locke remembered that he was on his way to South Figaro on the ferry.
Locke stood up suddenly. He felt woozy and, at first, thought it might have been where he stood up so fast. Then, he noticed that he had a slight headache. If he didn't know any better, he had a hangover. But he knew he wasn't drinking. He would've remembered if he was.
He put it out of his mind and started making his bed. As he straightened up the somewhat messed up sheets, he noticed a small glitter as something fell to the floor. He picked it up. It turned out to be an expensive diamond ring. Along with the ring was an attached note. He unfolded the note and read it.
Locke,
Ever since you left, I couldn't stop thinking of you. I'd really like to see you again. To get to know you better. I'd also like to thank you for the gift you gave me. I loved it. In return, I've decided to leave you a ring in which I'm sure you've found by now. Please accept the ring as a token of our friendship. I know you're a treasure hunter, so I know you'll like it.
If you like, come to my room a little later. There's a key in the envelope with my room number on it. Please accept my offer. I would really like to get to know you better.
Sincerely,
Your secret admirer
P.S. Well, not so secret anymore, am I? See ya later!
The first thought in Locke's mind was Terra?
He couldn't remember whether that 'dream' he had was real or not. Did it happen before? He wasn't sure, but it was extremely vivid, like he was remembering the past or something. Maybe it was a sign of who gave him the note or something. Well, the only way to find out is to go and see. I really hope it is Terra. That would just make my day, Locke thought. He stood in the doorway of his cabin, looking left and right, determining that her cabin was on the other side of the ship where all the women stayed. He quickly finished making his bed and then made his way for his secret admirer's cabin. He easily found the cabin and knocked on the door. While waiting for an answer, he straightened himself up. No response.
He knocked again. Still no response.
He checked the doorknob. It was unlocked. He turned it and it opened with a light squeak. Hmmm, I didn't need the key after all, he thought. The room was empty, but there was a light on in the bathroom. The bathroom door was open a slight crack. From that crack came steam and a wonderful voice.
Guess she wasn't expecting me this early. Or maybe she did this on purpose so she could tease me or maybe she wants me to come in, Locke thought. NO! I can't go in. I have to be a perfect gentleman
As he turned away, he caught a glimpse of something through the crack. It was green. The green he loved to see so much. "It must be Terra," Locke said to himself as he eagerly sat on the bed awaiting her entrance.
After a short while, Locke heard the water stop running and wet feet on the floor. He was starting to get impatient and he wanted to push the door open and kiss Terra, his Terra. However, he knew that would be rude because he thought she would be naked or half-dressed. Also, he didn't think Terra thought of him that way. The ring? Why would Terra give him such an extravagant ring? She knew he was a treasure hunter, but she needed the money more than he did. She still had at least five of the cute little rascals left. It must get pretty expensive to feed all them. Of course, what if she was interested and this ring was a token of her affection? Maybe. Locke started getting his hopes up again.
He was brought back to reality when he heard the door open and a gasp of surprise. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, Locke," said the green-haired woman, standing in the doorway.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Is it Terra ... Find out in the next chapter. I'm already working on it. It should be up soon.
