Author's notes: Sorry I've taken way too long to update... I'm pretty undecisive, something I'm not incredibly proud of :P... Anyway, without further ado, here's part two... (heheh, that rhymed...)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ch. 2 "it's a start"

Place: Deling City, Galbadia Hotel.

I was feeling pretty good; my uniform had just come in. It was a perfect fit, but felt a little stiff. But that was okay since it was pretty shiny! Anyway, even though I wasn't on duty, I didn't bother changing out of it; how else can someone get used to those heavy shoulder pads? The helmet had become stifling hot after ten minutes with it on, so it was conveniently misplaced in a closet somewhere. After that I left the change rooms to get some air, the night was still young.

There was a noticeable gaggle of soldiers heading towards a hotel, and seeing as I didn't have anything else to do I decided to follow in that direction. The brightly lit lobby held an air of panache that set it apart from the remodelling shop across the street. (Not that it was a shabby place or anything, there were a lot of cool items in the front, gotta go check that out sometime...) Standing pertly near a stairway was a lady dressed in a suit to match the red carpet. Seemed like a nice lady and all, but her smile was kinda strained; must get some weird characters in the bar. Since I didn't have any gil with me, I regrettably declined the offer to stay for the night and promised to come back later. I headed down the carpet, (you could practically feel the plush-ness!) because that's where the soldiers were gathering.

I scanned the area and spotted a table being cleared off by the waitress, it was near the back in a corner. I sat down and turned towards the stage. Every now and then the spotlight would glint off of the funky chrome chest plate making the table's top reflect back. On top of the well-kept stage sat a jet-black grand piano. 'Grand' piano was definitely a good title for it, the floorboards of auburn allowed it to standout beautifully. There were spotlights surrounding it, giving off a soft glow like that of a candle. So totally cool...

A few seconds later the crowd hushed up, and a lady elegantly entered the room. She wore a delicate red dress, and slid gently behind the piano. There wasn't much of an introduction; the crowd seemed to be regulars so it probably didn't matter much. The whole room was engulfed in a mist of music that poured from that piano. Even the strongest and highest ranking soldier nodded and smiled. The atmosphere was serene; the lights softly glowed on her crown of silky hair.

All too soon the cascading notes disappeared in a hushed decrescendo. The pianist bowed as many applauded her, I was one of them. She walked past the mass of blue uniforms, a small smile flitting on her face. I blushed, as her eyes seemed to land on me. I turned away just as she nodded to the whistling men.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Errm... and yeah, sorry for the lack of dialogue, hahaha! Ahh...not so funny...
PS Can you guys give me your thoughts on whether it'd be ok to switch point of views? I've got at least one chapter that can't be done well in first person... so I've been debating whether or not to convert the whole fic...

(Hence my 'undecisiveness-leading-to-delays...)