Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to FF7, or their characters or, places
ect... all I own is Xaen, Reverance, Warrent, Nobe, Smythe, and some
others... I also have not even the slightest possibility of owning Chucky
Cheese's, nor do I with Pokemon.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- Chapter 6: Gold is good, but love is better. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
({Story: Mwhahahahahassssha.....[dodges my dive] hahahahahaha LOSER [starts to run away but my next dive was well placed.] GYA! Muphmmrmmrmrrrrrrmr...[muffled out] } Ha! I got ya that time. AND STAY DOWN. [shaking my head] Join the Army they said. See the world they said. I'd rather be sailing.
Ahh victory brings old game flashbacks. Oh if you know where ['and stay down' or the army one came from tell me in a review. Consider it a trivia question. ANYONE BUT JARED. I told you yesterday.)
(This chapter will be my longest yet. Be sure to tell me of any problems. I'm also experimenting with the style of my 1st person implementation.)
*Why was I so angry? It's not like a disk is a huge deal. I was probably told about whatever it was by doctor Nobe. Now that I think about it, she had just finished telling me something that obviously troubled her. The disk just skipped her mind. That's got to be it. *
The ride in the tram up to the Gold Saucer was made in silence. Nobody seemed to wanna talk, none of Avalanche has really felt at ease since the battle with Sephiroth. Now seemed like a perfect time to reflect. Although, riding in a tin can hundreds of feet in the air wasn't all that reassuring either.
I look over to where Wreath is sitting, and see her just stare at her feet. What was wrong with her? She is usually one of those 'happy' people. *What are you thinking Wreath? ... Well, whatever. *
Soon the clouds parted and the Gold Saucer came into view. The spectacle of arriving in the game was seriously dumbed down compared to this. There were fireworks flying by and exploding in ever direction, millions of balloons that only rose to a certain height before slowly floating back down to start over again, and beams of light streaked across even this day lit sky. Colors and music bombarded me and I was struck temporarily dumb. I'm surprised they haven't been in a lawsuit for inducing seizures yet. Now I know why the tickets cost so much. Think of the electric bill!
As we arrived in the tram station, the telltale fireworks and balloons greeted us. I walked off first, and the others followed suit. I wonder if I could give Wreath a tour? I know I have been here enough.
Yuffie ran up in front of the group and started to plead with Cloud.
"Oh, this place never gets old! Cloud get your spiky ass over to the ticket lady and let us in!" She started in with the big bottom lip and the puppy dog eyes.
"You are a little too old for that one, you know that right?" I asked her.
"Shut it you!"
"Fine, fine I'll leave you to your work, but I was under the impression that we were gonna get in anyway." I continued, by stating the obvious.
Meanwhile Cloud had already walked up to the ticket lady and shown the gold card.
"Let's go everyone," he said to catch our attention.
"YAY!" Yuffie said, while running inside dragging Wreath, "COME ON Reverance! I'm gonna show you everything!"
With that they disappeared inside. Well, I guess a tour is out of the question.
Cloud turns back to the remaining members and says, "I was going to have the meeting first, but I guess we can have it tomorrow morning."
"I agree, I know I would not want to be the one to stop Yuffie." I told him.
"Go on now, have some fun," he said, now speaking to everyone.
"Whatever works, see ya later." I said, walking into the building, leaving them behind.
I then decided that the Wonder Square was the place to be. I walked up to the tubes and looked down. They were rainbow colored and after I found that changing the color was beyond my abilities in this instance I jumped in. As for the tube transportation, I only have one thing to say. WHO NEEDS ROLLER COASTERS! These were fun enough to be a ride them selves. They were air pressurized so they shot you up, down, and everywhere all at the same time.
"If these are just for getting from one place to another I wonder what the Speed square is like!" I said aloud. To no one. Well, that was lonely. I hope that this square has more games than the game did. Why didn't anyone else come to the Wonder Square? I was sure that at least Yuffie would have dragged Wreath here. At least I won't be bothered.
This place was so empty that even the guy in the chocobo suit wasn't dancing around. I stole another quick glance around and found no one, so I shot over to the jump pad and proceeded to the game rooms. I ran through the hall and into the first room. This room was brightly colored, and lined with gaming machines. It looked almost, to my horror, like a miniature Chucky Cheese's. The only real difference was the lack of a mouse-oriented theme. After that disturbing look around, I thought my time would be better spent in the next room. It was not much of an improvement. The colors were toned down a bit, a good thing too. There was also less crowding of little grabber games and the like. Then I spotted the bike chase game.
"Alright! I've always wanted to try that one." I said with uncharacteristic glee in my voice. I seem to act more seriously around other people.
I hopped on and popped in the required amount of gil. I wonder if Cloud's pocket feels lighter. Hehehe.
The game had the bike and the screen, but I was not close to prepared for the amount of work that the bike required. The bike was heavy and the sword controls were sluggish. I was a bit disappointed, but then it occurred to me, maybe I wasn't quite strong enough yet. The theory sounded reasonable.
When the game was done, I failed spectacularly, I was glad no one was around, not even the ticket exchange lady. I was sweating and panting pretty well so I decided to sit near the snow board machine. As I sat down an envelope caught my eye. I was medium sized, had a large foot print on it, and was addressed to me.
"Hehe, footprints... I think bad luck is a hobby for me, but only in some things."
I opened the letter and it read:
{ Xaen,
We thought we would get you to have a little fun, so you have become our unwilling participant. *I was having fun...* With People! *How did she...? * You will now play our game! *Unwillingly is right. What do you think will make me...* We have your sniper rifle. *All right I'm done thinking. * Now you must go on a scavenger hunt for more of these envelopes. Upon collecting them all we'll give you your gun back. *Is this supposed to be fun for me or you guys? And about that 'with' comment, I don't see anyone. Oh! It was 'for' not 'with' I see now. *
Good luck,
Reverance
Wrthae}
So Wreath does like to 'personalize' her letters doesn't she. Then I looked at the back of the letter for a clue or something and I found:
{
He's fat, he's ugly, and he wants a piece of you!}
She had help... That clue suggests the Sumo arm wrestler in that god forsaken cheesy room. Too easy! So I wandered on over the correct machine and deposited more of Clouds money, while smiling at that thought of course. Now let's see what I can do.
The battle was fierce. A constant fight for ground against a... virtual opponent. I won... barely. I almost lost against an incorporeal image. That is sad. The only reason I won was due to the fact that people have adrenal glands and the wrestling game didn't compensate for it. Sad.
After the YOU WIN screen faded away I reached into the GP prize slot and found an envelope. This meant to say I didn't really have to play? Since there was nobody around I guess it is ok, but still...
The letter in the envelope read:
{
Answer # 1 'U'
*So 'U' huh... all right. *
Good I knew you could do it! Tifa was so nice to help me with this! Anyway here is your next hint:
| 'S' 1-_ wark |
Wishing you luck,
Reverance
Tifa kept asking }
"S...," I said thinking, "One dash blank? Hah! Wark = chocobos! S - class! One dash must mean I need to bet on chocobo 1 and another. Hmmm I running low on funds now, I better not screw up. I really don't want Cloud to notice the missing gil so I can't just ask. I'll just have to be careful.
I started to head towards the tube that would take me to the racing arena, in no semblance of reluctance I jumped in.
"Yuffie was right, this doesn't get old." I said, to myself, once again. God... I just love those tubes! I brushed myself off and walked up the giant set of stairs leading up to the arena. I looked over the Chocobo Square. This place, unlike the entire exterior of the Gold Saucer, looked almost identical to the game. Of course with the exception of it looking completely life like. Even without any changes this place looked impressive. As a bonus there were still balloons everywhere. I do love balloons.
"What the hell am I waiting for?" I asked myself, effectively regaining my motivation. With that I walked up the steps and in through the large double doors.
"WOW, this place is just a little bit BIGGER than the game made it seem." The inside was absolutely gigantic. There were about thirty or forty ticket stands rather than the measly two the game shows. It looked like a casino. There were even the authentic race 'Junkies.'
"Every world has its own underworlds I guess." I said to myself, while entering the crowded place. Well, I am glad to see that living people do inhabit this building. I walked up to the nearest teller to see if I could place a bet, but something startled me. Everything about this teller was normal except the freaky blue color of her dress. It was just shocking. I never knew that things could be so... blue. Is she related to Ester?
"What would you like, hun?" she asked me, almost before I had approached her. Hun? Must be a demographic thing.
"Uh... I would like to see the S class line up for betting."
"It will cost you two-hundred gil to register, is that alright?"
"Yeeehaw!" I can't believe I allowed myself to succumb to the games proposed answer. I played this way too much.
"Ok, now place your bets. The line up is:
1. Susan 2. Tom 3. Stewart 4. Boco 5. Mark 6. Bob
It had to be set up. I mean Boco? Come on, that is so typical of a Final Fantasy game it is unbelievable. Except that Boco never made an appearance in FF7. Who am I to argue though?
"I'll take one dash four." I told the ticket lady. I guess you could call her a bookie.
"That'll be five-hundred gil, handsome" she informed me. Handsome? ...cough marketing ploy cough...
"Here you are." I handed her the money and she gave me the ticket.
"The race will start in five minutes."
"Good." The less time the better. I turned around to find an empty corner and proceeded to occupy the nearest one. Then I started to seriously think again.
Why do I have to spend my 'vacation' day looking for clues? This isn't fun. Well... maybe a little, but that should not have stopped them from asking me first. This is just a bunch of bull... I wonder what Wreath is doing? Then the race started.
The race wasn't as exciting as you might think. This one was so badly rigged, that it almost seemed like all of the other chocobos had been drugged or something. Heh, Dio had something to do with this hunt I bet. Well needless to say I won. I walked back out of my corner and up to the Ester look-alike.
"I won, here is the ticket," I said in an almost monotone voice. I handed her the ticket and she pulled out an envelope.
"Here you are sir, your prize," She said handing it too me.
"What if I wanted the GP? How much GP is this worth?" I asked her with mock anger, knowing full well she wouldn't know what to do.
"I... uh.."
"I know I'm being strung along, I was just joking with you, have a nice day," I said as I turned around and left the chocobo arena. While standing out side I opened it up to find another congratulatory letter.
{
Clue #2 is 'O' , 'D' ,and '[]'
YAY! Keep going your almost there! Only one more envelope to find. You know Dio is a very funny acting man, he just keeps talking no matter what you say in return. It took a threat from Tifa and a favor from Cloud just to get his attention. *I knew Dio was involved. * Well anyway only one more good luck!
With love,
Reverance
Smile!
}
Is it just me or are these letters getting more and more 'girlish'? I know that I'm being strung along, but is there more? Anyway, to the clue, U, O, D, and a square. The square must be for an area of the Gold Saucer. Not the ghost, speed, battle, wonder, station, event, or the chocobo. Must be the Round. Should have seen this coming, huh? I think Reverance wants to talk. Well, If I am careful I might be able to avoid the trap. I may as well find the last envelope though. What is the hint.
{
Hint # 3
After a quick drop, and a lot of chaffing, you might just end up his best friend.
}
These are too easy. The last one was pretty clever, but still not hard. It's Mr. Hangman. With that result I headed off the Ghost Square. Yay! More tube riding.
After popping out the opposite end of the tube I walked up the gloomy path to the Ghost hotel. It looked like a tall tower stuck in a 24/7 Halloween world to itself. Even the sky outside it was dark. That also could be due to the fact that it was night. Yeah that might have something to do with it.
Once I had opened the creaking door and had been greeted by the zombie butler, I headed up to the front desk.
"Hangman! Hangman!" I yelled, because he was nowhere in sight. [Ding ding ding] I rang the counter bell a few times and finally the little guy falls from the ceiling.
"What do you need sir?" he asked me.
"Are there any messages for a Xaen?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is one, are you the person in question?"
"Yes." I said. It was very hard for me to stop myself from saying something like, 'No, I'm just an assassin stalking him, and I would like to read any and all of his mail. It is kinda a fetish of mine.' But I thought that he might actually believe it.
He hands me the envelope saying, "Here you are sir, have a nice day." With that he rose back up towards the ceiling.
This envelope I opened immediately and found that my suspicions were correct.
{
Clue #3 'R' , 'N'
You win! You found them all! Now all you have to do is rearrange the letters and decide what to do. *Done. * You did really well. I hope this wasn't too hard for you. I wanted it to be fun! Well hurry up and regain your long lost rifle.
Love,
Reverance
: )
}
Well it is the Round Square. Now all I have to do is find a way to get my weapon and not be stuck on the ride... Hmmm... I'll find a way when I get there. With out further ado I jumped into my beloved tubes.
Now upon arriving at the round square, I realized I was gonna have to pretend I didn't know what was going on. I walked up and noted the lack of ticket lady and saw my gun lying in the seemingly empty car. I walked slowly up to the entrance of the car and prepared to dash in, grab the gun and make a hasty retreat, but before I could do any thing I was pushed inside. I turned around and through the window in the car's door, the door had just been closed, I saw Cid. He smiled and I now knew what he had planned. He raised his Venus Gospel and jammed it in the door effectively locking it. Then he just walked away. I turned around to at least pick up my gun and found what I expected. Wreath sitting in the car. She must have hidden somewhere. I'll have to ask her sometime.
"So, you caught the elusive, unless stolen from, Xaen monster," I joked.
"Yes, it seems I have, I am now the greatest Pokemon Master of all!" she joked right back.
"Now THAT was a fast come back, I applaud your efforts," I gave her the compliment and bowed. Then I sat down opposite her in the car. "So what's up, you obviously wanted to talk to me, I mean you involved Cid, Cloud, Tifa, AND Dio."
"I just wanted to spend some time with you, that's all," she gave me a warm smile.
"Oh, ok. Hey what's up with this disk thing?" I asked the question that had been bugging me earlier.
"That is just Nobe's research on the planar materia," she explained, "I had just forgotten to tell you that night."
"Thought so."
We sat in silence for a while, mostly looking out the window at the sights and attractions.
"Xaen?"
"Yes Wreath?"
"If I were to use a weapon, in a Final Fantasy sense, what would it be?" She really wants to help doesn't she?
"A huge hammer that appears out of nowhere when you use it," I replied instantly, "That or a bow and arrow. Those would be the typical ones."
"Really?"
"You should be the one to decide though, if you really intend to help them that way. Also remember you could be fit to be a dedicated magic materia user. That's always a possibility."
"Oh. Right." She looked a little confused now.
"Have Tifa teach you, I bet she'd love to."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely!" I said with complete certainty.
More silence ensued. I looked out the window to watch the Speed Square go by, It was amazing the way it moved. I really like roller coasters. But no matter how much I liked the sights, the next thing I saw just tore me apart. She was silently crying. I can't stand to see people cry.
"What's wrong?" I asked her. I was quite worried. It's just what happens.
"I don't know anything, or anyone. I feel so... so..." She cried jumping forward and dove into my chest, nearly succeeding in squeezing the life from my body.
"You know me." I tried to console her. Please anything to make her feel better.
"I know, but in these stories you would always end up getting torn away. You know that don't you?" She said with watery eyes.
"I...I know. I know how it works, but we are both from the same world in our story. This is the main difference. Besides this is not a story, it seems to be as real as anything I've ever seen. But if anything, anything at all, threatens to tear us apart I will do anything in my power to prevent it. You know Avalanche would too. If you ever need help just call for me, I'll be there in an instant. So there is no more need to cry." I tried to make her feel better, loved.
With that she looked up into my eyes. Her watery, but vibrant green ones staring into mine. Our heads drew closer together until they joined in a short, but very passionate kiss. She then crawled up into my arms and laid her head on my chest. The remainder of the ride was spent that way. I didn't mind. It was comforting.
When the car stopped I started to wake her up, but then why did she need to wake? I'll just carry her back. The tube was a challenge, though I managed to return to the Ghost hotel with out waking her. I set her down in one of the many chairs in the lounge, and walked up to the front desk to have another chat with Mr. Hangman.
[Ding]
"Hello?" I asked after ringing the little bell.
Mr. Hangman fell down again and said, "Your friends already have a room for you, here is the key."
And just like that he was gone. He must sleep too. Hehe, that could be fun later. I walked back over to Wreath and picked her back up. I carried her up the stairs and to my room. Once inside, I noticed one key factor. There was only one bed, so I did the only thing I could. I set Wreath in the bed, covered her up and started prospecting for the softest bit of floor I could find.
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(Ahh... about 1000 more words than my average. Not too bad. R&R plz the next chapter has a lot of battle in it as well as some character development. Balancing the super powers is hard work. So I don't. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! What IS IT with people and the Pandora's box I keep the story in? It's always 'Ohh lets see what's inside!' WELL NOT ANY MORE! [sounds of gun being cocked] once I catch him again, anyone who comes near the box is gettin an ass fulla lead! NOW get back here! {Story: I will never surrender! FREEDOM!!!!!!!})
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- Chapter 6: Gold is good, but love is better. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
({Story: Mwhahahahahassssha.....[dodges my dive] hahahahahaha LOSER [starts to run away but my next dive was well placed.] GYA! Muphmmrmmrmrrrrrrmr...[muffled out] } Ha! I got ya that time. AND STAY DOWN. [shaking my head] Join the Army they said. See the world they said. I'd rather be sailing.
Ahh victory brings old game flashbacks. Oh if you know where ['and stay down' or the army one came from tell me in a review. Consider it a trivia question. ANYONE BUT JARED. I told you yesterday.)
(This chapter will be my longest yet. Be sure to tell me of any problems. I'm also experimenting with the style of my 1st person implementation.)
*Why was I so angry? It's not like a disk is a huge deal. I was probably told about whatever it was by doctor Nobe. Now that I think about it, she had just finished telling me something that obviously troubled her. The disk just skipped her mind. That's got to be it. *
The ride in the tram up to the Gold Saucer was made in silence. Nobody seemed to wanna talk, none of Avalanche has really felt at ease since the battle with Sephiroth. Now seemed like a perfect time to reflect. Although, riding in a tin can hundreds of feet in the air wasn't all that reassuring either.
I look over to where Wreath is sitting, and see her just stare at her feet. What was wrong with her? She is usually one of those 'happy' people. *What are you thinking Wreath? ... Well, whatever. *
Soon the clouds parted and the Gold Saucer came into view. The spectacle of arriving in the game was seriously dumbed down compared to this. There were fireworks flying by and exploding in ever direction, millions of balloons that only rose to a certain height before slowly floating back down to start over again, and beams of light streaked across even this day lit sky. Colors and music bombarded me and I was struck temporarily dumb. I'm surprised they haven't been in a lawsuit for inducing seizures yet. Now I know why the tickets cost so much. Think of the electric bill!
As we arrived in the tram station, the telltale fireworks and balloons greeted us. I walked off first, and the others followed suit. I wonder if I could give Wreath a tour? I know I have been here enough.
Yuffie ran up in front of the group and started to plead with Cloud.
"Oh, this place never gets old! Cloud get your spiky ass over to the ticket lady and let us in!" She started in with the big bottom lip and the puppy dog eyes.
"You are a little too old for that one, you know that right?" I asked her.
"Shut it you!"
"Fine, fine I'll leave you to your work, but I was under the impression that we were gonna get in anyway." I continued, by stating the obvious.
Meanwhile Cloud had already walked up to the ticket lady and shown the gold card.
"Let's go everyone," he said to catch our attention.
"YAY!" Yuffie said, while running inside dragging Wreath, "COME ON Reverance! I'm gonna show you everything!"
With that they disappeared inside. Well, I guess a tour is out of the question.
Cloud turns back to the remaining members and says, "I was going to have the meeting first, but I guess we can have it tomorrow morning."
"I agree, I know I would not want to be the one to stop Yuffie." I told him.
"Go on now, have some fun," he said, now speaking to everyone.
"Whatever works, see ya later." I said, walking into the building, leaving them behind.
I then decided that the Wonder Square was the place to be. I walked up to the tubes and looked down. They were rainbow colored and after I found that changing the color was beyond my abilities in this instance I jumped in. As for the tube transportation, I only have one thing to say. WHO NEEDS ROLLER COASTERS! These were fun enough to be a ride them selves. They were air pressurized so they shot you up, down, and everywhere all at the same time.
"If these are just for getting from one place to another I wonder what the Speed square is like!" I said aloud. To no one. Well, that was lonely. I hope that this square has more games than the game did. Why didn't anyone else come to the Wonder Square? I was sure that at least Yuffie would have dragged Wreath here. At least I won't be bothered.
This place was so empty that even the guy in the chocobo suit wasn't dancing around. I stole another quick glance around and found no one, so I shot over to the jump pad and proceeded to the game rooms. I ran through the hall and into the first room. This room was brightly colored, and lined with gaming machines. It looked almost, to my horror, like a miniature Chucky Cheese's. The only real difference was the lack of a mouse-oriented theme. After that disturbing look around, I thought my time would be better spent in the next room. It was not much of an improvement. The colors were toned down a bit, a good thing too. There was also less crowding of little grabber games and the like. Then I spotted the bike chase game.
"Alright! I've always wanted to try that one." I said with uncharacteristic glee in my voice. I seem to act more seriously around other people.
I hopped on and popped in the required amount of gil. I wonder if Cloud's pocket feels lighter. Hehehe.
The game had the bike and the screen, but I was not close to prepared for the amount of work that the bike required. The bike was heavy and the sword controls were sluggish. I was a bit disappointed, but then it occurred to me, maybe I wasn't quite strong enough yet. The theory sounded reasonable.
When the game was done, I failed spectacularly, I was glad no one was around, not even the ticket exchange lady. I was sweating and panting pretty well so I decided to sit near the snow board machine. As I sat down an envelope caught my eye. I was medium sized, had a large foot print on it, and was addressed to me.
"Hehe, footprints... I think bad luck is a hobby for me, but only in some things."
I opened the letter and it read:
{ Xaen,
We thought we would get you to have a little fun, so you have become our unwilling participant. *I was having fun...* With People! *How did she...? * You will now play our game! *Unwillingly is right. What do you think will make me...* We have your sniper rifle. *All right I'm done thinking. * Now you must go on a scavenger hunt for more of these envelopes. Upon collecting them all we'll give you your gun back. *Is this supposed to be fun for me or you guys? And about that 'with' comment, I don't see anyone. Oh! It was 'for' not 'with' I see now. *
Good luck,
Reverance
Wrthae}
So Wreath does like to 'personalize' her letters doesn't she. Then I looked at the back of the letter for a clue or something and I found:
{
He's fat, he's ugly, and he wants a piece of you!}
She had help... That clue suggests the Sumo arm wrestler in that god forsaken cheesy room. Too easy! So I wandered on over the correct machine and deposited more of Clouds money, while smiling at that thought of course. Now let's see what I can do.
The battle was fierce. A constant fight for ground against a... virtual opponent. I won... barely. I almost lost against an incorporeal image. That is sad. The only reason I won was due to the fact that people have adrenal glands and the wrestling game didn't compensate for it. Sad.
After the YOU WIN screen faded away I reached into the GP prize slot and found an envelope. This meant to say I didn't really have to play? Since there was nobody around I guess it is ok, but still...
The letter in the envelope read:
{
Answer # 1 'U'
*So 'U' huh... all right. *
Good I knew you could do it! Tifa was so nice to help me with this! Anyway here is your next hint:
| 'S' 1-_ wark |
Wishing you luck,
Reverance
Tifa kept asking }
"S...," I said thinking, "One dash blank? Hah! Wark = chocobos! S - class! One dash must mean I need to bet on chocobo 1 and another. Hmmm I running low on funds now, I better not screw up. I really don't want Cloud to notice the missing gil so I can't just ask. I'll just have to be careful.
I started to head towards the tube that would take me to the racing arena, in no semblance of reluctance I jumped in.
"Yuffie was right, this doesn't get old." I said, to myself, once again. God... I just love those tubes! I brushed myself off and walked up the giant set of stairs leading up to the arena. I looked over the Chocobo Square. This place, unlike the entire exterior of the Gold Saucer, looked almost identical to the game. Of course with the exception of it looking completely life like. Even without any changes this place looked impressive. As a bonus there were still balloons everywhere. I do love balloons.
"What the hell am I waiting for?" I asked myself, effectively regaining my motivation. With that I walked up the steps and in through the large double doors.
"WOW, this place is just a little bit BIGGER than the game made it seem." The inside was absolutely gigantic. There were about thirty or forty ticket stands rather than the measly two the game shows. It looked like a casino. There were even the authentic race 'Junkies.'
"Every world has its own underworlds I guess." I said to myself, while entering the crowded place. Well, I am glad to see that living people do inhabit this building. I walked up to the nearest teller to see if I could place a bet, but something startled me. Everything about this teller was normal except the freaky blue color of her dress. It was just shocking. I never knew that things could be so... blue. Is she related to Ester?
"What would you like, hun?" she asked me, almost before I had approached her. Hun? Must be a demographic thing.
"Uh... I would like to see the S class line up for betting."
"It will cost you two-hundred gil to register, is that alright?"
"Yeeehaw!" I can't believe I allowed myself to succumb to the games proposed answer. I played this way too much.
"Ok, now place your bets. The line up is:
1. Susan 2. Tom 3. Stewart 4. Boco 5. Mark 6. Bob
It had to be set up. I mean Boco? Come on, that is so typical of a Final Fantasy game it is unbelievable. Except that Boco never made an appearance in FF7. Who am I to argue though?
"I'll take one dash four." I told the ticket lady. I guess you could call her a bookie.
"That'll be five-hundred gil, handsome" she informed me. Handsome? ...cough marketing ploy cough...
"Here you are." I handed her the money and she gave me the ticket.
"The race will start in five minutes."
"Good." The less time the better. I turned around to find an empty corner and proceeded to occupy the nearest one. Then I started to seriously think again.
Why do I have to spend my 'vacation' day looking for clues? This isn't fun. Well... maybe a little, but that should not have stopped them from asking me first. This is just a bunch of bull... I wonder what Wreath is doing? Then the race started.
The race wasn't as exciting as you might think. This one was so badly rigged, that it almost seemed like all of the other chocobos had been drugged or something. Heh, Dio had something to do with this hunt I bet. Well needless to say I won. I walked back out of my corner and up to the Ester look-alike.
"I won, here is the ticket," I said in an almost monotone voice. I handed her the ticket and she pulled out an envelope.
"Here you are sir, your prize," She said handing it too me.
"What if I wanted the GP? How much GP is this worth?" I asked her with mock anger, knowing full well she wouldn't know what to do.
"I... uh.."
"I know I'm being strung along, I was just joking with you, have a nice day," I said as I turned around and left the chocobo arena. While standing out side I opened it up to find another congratulatory letter.
{
Clue #2 is 'O' , 'D' ,and '[]'
YAY! Keep going your almost there! Only one more envelope to find. You know Dio is a very funny acting man, he just keeps talking no matter what you say in return. It took a threat from Tifa and a favor from Cloud just to get his attention. *I knew Dio was involved. * Well anyway only one more good luck!
With love,
Reverance
Smile!
}
Is it just me or are these letters getting more and more 'girlish'? I know that I'm being strung along, but is there more? Anyway, to the clue, U, O, D, and a square. The square must be for an area of the Gold Saucer. Not the ghost, speed, battle, wonder, station, event, or the chocobo. Must be the Round. Should have seen this coming, huh? I think Reverance wants to talk. Well, If I am careful I might be able to avoid the trap. I may as well find the last envelope though. What is the hint.
{
Hint # 3
After a quick drop, and a lot of chaffing, you might just end up his best friend.
}
These are too easy. The last one was pretty clever, but still not hard. It's Mr. Hangman. With that result I headed off the Ghost Square. Yay! More tube riding.
After popping out the opposite end of the tube I walked up the gloomy path to the Ghost hotel. It looked like a tall tower stuck in a 24/7 Halloween world to itself. Even the sky outside it was dark. That also could be due to the fact that it was night. Yeah that might have something to do with it.
Once I had opened the creaking door and had been greeted by the zombie butler, I headed up to the front desk.
"Hangman! Hangman!" I yelled, because he was nowhere in sight. [Ding ding ding] I rang the counter bell a few times and finally the little guy falls from the ceiling.
"What do you need sir?" he asked me.
"Are there any messages for a Xaen?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is one, are you the person in question?"
"Yes." I said. It was very hard for me to stop myself from saying something like, 'No, I'm just an assassin stalking him, and I would like to read any and all of his mail. It is kinda a fetish of mine.' But I thought that he might actually believe it.
He hands me the envelope saying, "Here you are sir, have a nice day." With that he rose back up towards the ceiling.
This envelope I opened immediately and found that my suspicions were correct.
{
Clue #3 'R' , 'N'
You win! You found them all! Now all you have to do is rearrange the letters and decide what to do. *Done. * You did really well. I hope this wasn't too hard for you. I wanted it to be fun! Well hurry up and regain your long lost rifle.
Love,
Reverance
: )
}
Well it is the Round Square. Now all I have to do is find a way to get my weapon and not be stuck on the ride... Hmmm... I'll find a way when I get there. With out further ado I jumped into my beloved tubes.
Now upon arriving at the round square, I realized I was gonna have to pretend I didn't know what was going on. I walked up and noted the lack of ticket lady and saw my gun lying in the seemingly empty car. I walked slowly up to the entrance of the car and prepared to dash in, grab the gun and make a hasty retreat, but before I could do any thing I was pushed inside. I turned around and through the window in the car's door, the door had just been closed, I saw Cid. He smiled and I now knew what he had planned. He raised his Venus Gospel and jammed it in the door effectively locking it. Then he just walked away. I turned around to at least pick up my gun and found what I expected. Wreath sitting in the car. She must have hidden somewhere. I'll have to ask her sometime.
"So, you caught the elusive, unless stolen from, Xaen monster," I joked.
"Yes, it seems I have, I am now the greatest Pokemon Master of all!" she joked right back.
"Now THAT was a fast come back, I applaud your efforts," I gave her the compliment and bowed. Then I sat down opposite her in the car. "So what's up, you obviously wanted to talk to me, I mean you involved Cid, Cloud, Tifa, AND Dio."
"I just wanted to spend some time with you, that's all," she gave me a warm smile.
"Oh, ok. Hey what's up with this disk thing?" I asked the question that had been bugging me earlier.
"That is just Nobe's research on the planar materia," she explained, "I had just forgotten to tell you that night."
"Thought so."
We sat in silence for a while, mostly looking out the window at the sights and attractions.
"Xaen?"
"Yes Wreath?"
"If I were to use a weapon, in a Final Fantasy sense, what would it be?" She really wants to help doesn't she?
"A huge hammer that appears out of nowhere when you use it," I replied instantly, "That or a bow and arrow. Those would be the typical ones."
"Really?"
"You should be the one to decide though, if you really intend to help them that way. Also remember you could be fit to be a dedicated magic materia user. That's always a possibility."
"Oh. Right." She looked a little confused now.
"Have Tifa teach you, I bet she'd love to."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely!" I said with complete certainty.
More silence ensued. I looked out the window to watch the Speed Square go by, It was amazing the way it moved. I really like roller coasters. But no matter how much I liked the sights, the next thing I saw just tore me apart. She was silently crying. I can't stand to see people cry.
"What's wrong?" I asked her. I was quite worried. It's just what happens.
"I don't know anything, or anyone. I feel so... so..." She cried jumping forward and dove into my chest, nearly succeeding in squeezing the life from my body.
"You know me." I tried to console her. Please anything to make her feel better.
"I know, but in these stories you would always end up getting torn away. You know that don't you?" She said with watery eyes.
"I...I know. I know how it works, but we are both from the same world in our story. This is the main difference. Besides this is not a story, it seems to be as real as anything I've ever seen. But if anything, anything at all, threatens to tear us apart I will do anything in my power to prevent it. You know Avalanche would too. If you ever need help just call for me, I'll be there in an instant. So there is no more need to cry." I tried to make her feel better, loved.
With that she looked up into my eyes. Her watery, but vibrant green ones staring into mine. Our heads drew closer together until they joined in a short, but very passionate kiss. She then crawled up into my arms and laid her head on my chest. The remainder of the ride was spent that way. I didn't mind. It was comforting.
When the car stopped I started to wake her up, but then why did she need to wake? I'll just carry her back. The tube was a challenge, though I managed to return to the Ghost hotel with out waking her. I set her down in one of the many chairs in the lounge, and walked up to the front desk to have another chat with Mr. Hangman.
[Ding]
"Hello?" I asked after ringing the little bell.
Mr. Hangman fell down again and said, "Your friends already have a room for you, here is the key."
And just like that he was gone. He must sleep too. Hehe, that could be fun later. I walked back over to Wreath and picked her back up. I carried her up the stairs and to my room. Once inside, I noticed one key factor. There was only one bed, so I did the only thing I could. I set Wreath in the bed, covered her up and started prospecting for the softest bit of floor I could find.
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(Ahh... about 1000 more words than my average. Not too bad. R&R plz the next chapter has a lot of battle in it as well as some character development. Balancing the super powers is hard work. So I don't. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! What IS IT with people and the Pandora's box I keep the story in? It's always 'Ohh lets see what's inside!' WELL NOT ANY MORE! [sounds of gun being cocked] once I catch him again, anyone who comes near the box is gettin an ass fulla lead! NOW get back here! {Story: I will never surrender! FREEDOM!!!!!!!})
