Notes: I apologise if the text is all bunched up but there's not much I can do that takes less than a hour ... I suggest making the text larger (look top right of this page if you're not sure about how to do that) and it kinda spaces out the lines. I apologise for my laziness, but it's a serious condition ya know ...;
Oh, and you're interested in seeing exactly what Neveer and Blois look like (I was forced to draw them) just contact me and I'll send you a link to the picture. I'd put the link up here if I didn't think that I'd get into trouble ...
ACT TWO
Scene One : The Well, Nibelheim
Eight months later. It is nighttime and IFALNA is outside on her own. There is a solitary street-lamp lighting the scene. The stars are out.
IFALNA: Sitting on the well. She speaks directly to the audience. I've had such a long time to change. Darling tells me I have become more sociable. Which, I suppose, is a good thing. I do so love talking with Lucrecia, and I quite envy her condition. I want a child someday. But darling says I'm still too young. A child myself. Barely nineteen. If you were here, I suppose you'd ask me what I was doing out here, all by myself at night. Well, I can't sleep. Also, I can communicate with the planet in this kind of solitude.
She walks over to the street-lamp.
He's a kind man, so charming and obliging. I know I'm lucky to have found him. But then again, he still has the blood of a scientist and sometimes I'm fearful of our future. My Cetra ancestry will be my enemy, my own destruction. Oh, but I know I love him, however much I'm fearful. Like a rare moth attracted to an unknowingly dangerous flame. But to me, he's like a sun that melts the winter. To me -
Enter VINCENT.
VINCENT: Oh, Miss Ifalna, I did not expect to see you out here. Are you ... all right?
IFALNA: Yes.
VINCENT: What - were you saying something? Who were you talking to?
IFALNA: Oh, no one really. The night, I suppose. The sleeping town.
VINCENT: To be honest, I have seen you out here like this before. We are both night-wanderers, or so it would appear.
IFALNA: Returning to the well. Hmmm.
VINCENT: Climbing up onto the well. I always liked how the sky here is so much brighter than anywhere else. Then again, the sky is a strange sight to people from Midgar. Like me. It's as if we have never really lived in the world. That's how I've always felt until now.
IFALNA: Hmmm.
VINCENT: I always fancied myself as a solitary man, but once I start talking I cannot stop.
Pause.
VINCENT: Is something the matter?
IFALNA: No.
VINCENT: Well, I had better go. You know, you can always talk to me. I'm not a stereotypical Turk - all the time.
IFALNA: Laughs quietly. Yes, you and Lucrecia are wonderful. Thank you.
VINCENT: Are you quite certain there isn't something on your mind?
IFALNA: I shall certainly tell you if there is.
VINCENT: I know you will. Good night, Ifalna.
IFALNA: Good night.
Exit VINCENT.
IFALNA: Waiting until he has gone from her view. Lucrecia has a saint at her disposal. She is lucky to have you, Vincent.
Scene Two : The Town Square, Nibelheim
Despite the lively moods of the locals and the town's visitors, the town appears more barren and sombre - there are less flowers, and the well seems to be more dilapidated, a change which was not noticeable in the previous night scene. A few locals are chatting in the background.
NEVEER: I think I may have recovered from my - what was it called? - grass-fever.
BLOIS: Eh?
NEVEER: My nose is dry as a bone. But now I'm just left with a pounding headache.
BLOIS: You are truly the king of pessimism.
NEVEER: Amen.
BLOIS: Well. Looks around the town. The locals seem excited about something. I've never seen more than two outside at once. And they're talking to each other ... there must be something going on. Probably a fatay.
NEVEER: A what?
BLOIS: A fatay. One of those days with sponge cake and big swings and competitions. A fatay.
NEVEER: A fete.
BLOIS: No, it's definitely a fatay, with all those sponge cakes it would have to be.
MAN ONE: 'Ere you two, when are you going back to Midgar? It'd better be soon.
BLOIS: Why?
MAN ONE: We're sick of the sight of those blue uniforms.
NEVEER: Tough. At least you don't have to wear them. I wear this thing so much I've forgotten what I actually look like underneath.
MAN TWO: Leave 'em alone. They're my best customers, after all. Without their daily patronage, my pie shop would be ... well, there would be no pie shop.
BLOIS: Proudly. Exactly. We're a necessity to your economy.
NOYA: They're not that much of an eyesore.
MAN ONE: No, no one ever is in your book, are they Noya?
NOYA: Oh, stop annoying everyone.
Exit MAN ONE and MAN TWO.
NOYA: Hello, Blois.
BLOIS: Noya ... how are things?
NOYA: Nodding. Better than you'd expect. Hello, Neveer.
NEVEER: Gulping. Errr, hello.
NOYA: I must say, these past few months have been most interesting, haven't they boys?
NEVEER: I ... I'm not sure, but I'll take your word for it.
NOYA: I had better go. See you soon. Blois. Neveer.
Exit NOYA.
BLOIS: So, you know her as well?
NEVEER: Never met her before in my life.
BLOIS: All right, I'm a well-known fool, but I can see straight through that answer. It's not a problem, though.
NEVEER: Oh?
BLOIS: I'm not that interested. She's nothing compared with the Midgar ladies.
NEVEER: I hadn't noticed.
BLOIS: You lie again!
NEVEER: Anyway, it's hardly surprising we've both been at large in the town. Have you noticed that the scientists have been summoning us less and less to supervise the mansion? Something's going on.
BLOIS: Secret.
NEVEER: Indeed.
BOTH: Secret.
NEVEER: We've been together for too long.
BOTH: Far too long.
BLOIS: I agree.
Scene Three : Hotel Room One, Nibelheim
The room is much more cluttered than the last time we saw it. Amidst the new items, there is no baby equipment to be seen. Only IFALNA holds a teddy bear. LUCRECIA sits at the table, occasionally sipping tea.
IFALNA: I suppose you'll be able to go back to Midgar after the baby's born. Although what kind of a life there is for a child in the city ... I do not know. I certainly wouldn't want my children there. No offence.
LUCRECIA: I understand, but there's nothing for us outside Midgar. Our jobs are rooted there when this is complete.
IFALNA: Well, we shall have to correspond.
LUCRECIA: Of course.
A pause. IFALNA stares vaguely into the audience.
LUCRECIA: Oh, it kicked.
IFALNA: Really?
LUCRECIA: Yes, but he kicks so hard.
IFALNA: He?
LUCRECIA: Darling would be most upset if it were a girl. "There is no use for a female, only to breed and that would take too long", he said.
IFALNA: Oh!
LUCRECIA: No, he meant well. He just has his heart set on a boy. He can seem cold, I know, but he is doing all this for the good of the Planet.
IFALNA: Yes, Darling told me that too.
LUCRECIA: Oh, I will be at the library all day tomorrow, so don't think I've disappeared.
IFALNA: All right. I had better go anyway.
They have a friendly hug.
Exit IFALNA.
LUCRECIA spends a minute slowly tidying the room. VINCENT appears at the doorway and watches her for a moment.
VINCENT: You don't have to do that.
LUCRECIA: Oh! You frightened me.
VINCENT: Forgive me. Please, sit down. You can do that when the baby's born.
LUCRECIA: Oh, when it's born I'll be able to do a lot of things, I know. People have telling me these past few months. I haven't lost brain cells just because I'm pregnant, you know.
VINCENT: Smiles. That's my Crecia.
LUCRECIA: Glancing at the doorway. I'm not yours though, am I?
VINCENT: Unfortunately not. But I know we love each other all the same.
LUCRECIA: Stop it!
VINCENT: It's the truth, is it not?
LUCRECIA: Just stop it! You're not helping my aching body, and you're certainly not helping my battered mind!
VINCENT: You know he's just using you as mere flesh for his means.
LUCRECIA: Of course. But what can I do now? It's too late.
VINCENT: Do you love me?
LUCRECIA: How can I when you persist in asking? Leave me alone.
VINCENT: Sarcastically. At once, m'lady.
Exit VINCENT.
Scene Four : Mansion Library, Nibelheim
The next day. HOJO is preparing some needles and other equipment on the table. Had he been a different kind of man, he would have been humming. Instead, he occasionally stifles some little, private laughs. He then wanders over to a large pile of books and begins to organise them. He is obviously waiting for something or someone.
Enter IFALNA.
IFALNA: Nervously. Forgive me. I thought Lucrecia might be here.
HOJO: I have not seen her, but she should be along shortly. Please, come in.
IFALNA: Thank you. But I don't want to intrude.
HOJO: No no, do. Sit down, make yourself comfortable. I really recommend these chairs. Looking at her. Padded. Soft, and, errr ... nice.
IFALNA: Sitting. Yes, they're lovely.
HOJO: Drink?
IFALNA: Oh, no, thank you.
HOJO: You never have much, do you?
Uneasy pause.
HOJO: So, tell me about yourself. You're quite the mysterious lady.
IFALNA: Oh, I expect darling has already told you everything. He can't resist talking about me to all he meets.
HOJO: Darling hasn't said anything to me.
IFALNA: Giggles. You know, there was a time when I was scared of you. You seemed so cold and withdrawn into your studies, you did not appear to have a personality. But now, you do. There's something new, invigorated, in your eyes.
HOJO: What an odd thing to say.
IFALNA: I'm sorry, I do come out with some strange notions. Darling finds them endearing.
Pause.
HOJO: Well, I'm glad you've perked up. You would barely say two words when you first came to Nibelheim. And now you've proved yourself to be a pleasant, engaging young lady. You should go to Midgar. You would fit in there.
IFALNA: Oh? I would? Do you have fond memories of the city?
HOJO: With contempt. Not in the slightest.
IFALNA: I'm sorry?
HOJO: Brightening. Oh, no, it was fine really. I studied there. Of course, all the other students went straight to work in the Shin-ra Headquarters. But I -did not. It must have been my inferiority as a scientist.
IFALNA: Taking his hand. Hey! Don't go saying that. That's not true at all. Darling says you're a genius in the making. Promise me that you'll never say that again!
HOJO: I -
IFALNA: Repeat after me: I am the greatest scientist alive.
Pause.
HOJO: I am the greatest scientist alive.
IFALNA: No one is more knowledgeable than me.
HOJO: No one is more knowledgeable than me.
IFALNA: I will keep my findings to myself and everyone will know that I know everything and I will be superior forever!
HOJO: My my, that's ambitious.
IFALNA: Say it!
HOJO: I, errr, will keep my findings to myself and everyone will know that I know everything. And I will be superior -
IFALNA: Forever!
HOJO: Forever.
IFALNA: Smiling. That's good. You have to become more confident and positive about yourself. It's something that Lucrecia has taught me. She seems so happy all the time.
Pause.
Do you really love her?
HOJO: Sighs. That emotion, concerning her, is long gone. I never knew what it was that I felt for her. Perhaps it's hatred, perhaps it's compassion. I've never figured it out. Not until now.
IFALNA: Ohh? She's a lovely lady.
HOJO: Rising. Lovely... just observe those Cetra eyes. Too perfect. You're too perfect for all this. Then again, so is Jenova.
IFALNA: What are you talking about?
HOJO: As if possessed. You... are the key to everything... you and Jenova. Ha, and Gast thinks he can leave Her to Her own devices. Leave Her in a tank for all eternity. That is not possible. She needs to be free. She needs to have freedom, as you need to be encaged like the specimen you truly are. Come here, Cetra.
IFALNA: Getting up. St-tay back. I'm leaving now. Just, let's not mention anything to Darling. Please.
HOJO: Taking her wrist. No, we won't say anything to Darling.
IFALNA: Let go!
HOJO: Menacingly. Listen carefully. Grabbing her from behind. This is too perfect to let go. Everything. I have waited, and this is when I claim my reward, benefits, it will all benefit me in the end. Do you see? I will win. But first ... some things need attention. Like you.
IFALNA: Leave me out of it. You have a pregnant wife, attend to her. She needs you, you have no use for me. I'm nothing.
HOJO: Breathing down her neck. You're everything, Cetra. I will never relent, not from my hunt for you, not in my search for your children, descendants, anyone related to you. You are the source, the very centre of operations.
IFALNA: Don't say anymore. Let me go, I don't want to be involved.
HOJO: You're starting to sound like Lucrecia. Don't try me, Cetra. I'm more powerful than you know.
IFALNA: What do you want? God, what is it before your eyes, what shields you from reality? You are utterly insane. That was all a façade, wasn't it? What Lucrecia sees in you ... must be how you see yourself. Well, I can see past that. Quiet malice, that's all you have. Unnecessary hatred is all you're offering. You can put on quite an act when you're trying to be a normal human being!
HOJO: Pushing her to the ground. Silence. At least I am a human being! Do you fear me yet? The more you fear me, the more I will try. Yet resistance is futile. When that time comes, when you conceive a child with Gast, I shall know. And Lucrecia shall not be alone anymore.
IFALNA: If you've hurt her ... You shall never harm any of my children, you, you -
HOJO: Mwaa ha ha. So hurtful. You had better leave now before something unfortunate happens to you.
Exit IFALNA.
HOJO: Yes, run Cetra, but you won't get far. Not far enough away from me.
Scene Five : Hotel Room One, Nibelheim
LUCRECIA lies in bed, fatigued. An empty cradle stands at the foot of the bed. It appears to be nightfall.
Enter HOJO.
LUCRECIA: You must give me my son. It's been hours. Please.
HOJO: No.
LUCRECIA: I'm serious. I need to see him. I need to hold him.
HOJO: In... time.
LUCRECIA: Where is Ifalna? Why isn't she here?
HOJO: She and Gast just left. They send their apologies.
LUCRECIA: Trying to sit up. Why?
HOJO: They didn't say.
LUCRECIA: Where is my son? I'm so tired. I want to see him, and then I shall sleep.
HOJO: Hmmm.
LUCRECIA: It's so strange... I can't feel anything. My head hurts more than I've ever known. Taking the teddy bear from her bed-side table. Ahhh. He'll love you. Can I see him now?
HOJO: Be patient, woman.
Enter VINCENT.
LUCRECIA: Vincent!
HOJO: Valentine. What is it?
VINCENT: Looking at LUCRECIA. I can... hear a baby crying next door.
LUCRECIA: My baby.
HOJO: Leave now, Valentine.
VINCENT: What is going on?
LUCRECIA: I can hear him ...
VINCENT: Why is it not in her arms?
HOJO: Go away!
LUCRECIA: Grimacing. Help me. I'm slipping.
VINCENT: Lucrecia? What's wrong?
HOJO: Moving towards LUCRECIA. It's not of your concern ...
VINCENT: Don't go anywhere near her!
LUCRECIA: I know what is happening. My poor, poor child. You must stop him, Vincent. You must stop Her, Vincent. If you don't, who knows what horrors may be awaiting my son ...
She dies. VINCENT lifts her torso up, yet she goes limp in his arms.
VINCENT: Sobbing. Crecia. Crecia, where are you now?
BLOIS peers in through the door, but does not enter. Seeing the situation, he disappears.
VINCENT: How did you become such a withered rose? Like a vision, faded into an old oil painting, a mere, poor representation of how you once were. Oh, but you were meant to live as you had dreamed, instead of this hell. The agony we all presented, we never knew the pain you suffered through. We had our own careless trials to contend with, but what of your trial? To overcome the beast, your husband, the wretched spirit you endured, until now. The Jenova Project brought nothing but grief upon you. Is it worth it? How will your child grow up, when will he discover the lies and see the truth? I do not wish to live to see that sorry day arrive. If we all die, and leave the murderer, will he win? Or will the torment finally come to rest on his shoulders?
HOJO: Fool.
Exit HOJO.
Scene Six : The Well, Nibelheim
NEVEER is staring at the sky. There is the distant sound of a baby's cries.
Enter BLOIS.
BLOIS: They're all gone! Everything is becoming an utter disaster. We have to get out of this place.
NEVEER: What are you talking about?
BLOIS: Professor Lucrecia! I think she's dead! And Gast and Ifalna left earlier on. I've just seen Vincent pursuing Hojo towards the mansion, and surely they'll fight and one of them will be killed. I'm hoping Hojo will be, because if he lives we'll be goners for sure.
NEVEER: Why?
BLOIS: Because we know! We know everything. We may be as stupid as two village idiots sharing one brain-cell, but we know. Hojo's secrets; Lucrecia and Vincent; Ifalna's Ancient blood; Gast's plans. Everything. We'll be gassed, you know.
NEVEER: Hold on, hold on. So... we pretend that we really are as ignorant as our reputation states. Then we'll be fine. Or we could let him pay us to keep quiet.
BLOIS: Why pay us when he could easily 'dispose' of us?!
NEVEER: Listen, Blois. We've learnt a lot during our stay here. We've learnt about what those scientists consider 'fascinating'. We've learnt that we like the same kind of woman. We've learnt about words. We've learnt that the monsters of these parts are not very friendly. And we've learnt what a fatay is. But do they know that? No. Not even Vincent. If we disappeared, right now, if we lay low in Gongaga or Rocket Town for a while, would anyone notice? Probably not. We have taken a back seat in events so far; why don't we continue this trend?
Pause.
BLOIS: Optimistically. Or we could go to Cosmo Canyon. I always wanted to see the 'Eternal Sunset'.
NEVEER: Be serious, Blois!
BLOIS: Fine, but we'll have to hurry. I really, really am not in the mood to die.
NEVEER: I wonder if the van still works ...
BLOIS: Not enough gas. Besides, we haven't driven for months. We'd be all over the road. We could hit an animal!
NEVEER: Well I wouldn't mind hitting one of those squirrel monsters that chuck money at you.
BLOIS: I suppose we ought to give the van a try. If not, we'll have to run.
NEVEER: Right. Let's go.
BLOIS: Let's go.
Exeunt.
Scene Seven : Mansion Library, Nibelheim
HOJO is standing motionlessly in the middle of the room. Every now and then, he pats the inside pocket of his lab coat. A second baby cradle stands in a corner, presumably with the baby inside. Somewhere, soft classical music is playing and drifts around the stage.
Enter VINCENT.
VINCENT: Shouting. This all your doing, Hojo! How could I have not seen tragedy looming towards Lucrecia's misfortunate soul? She did nothing wrong and still you denied her love.
HOJO: Those words will not sway me.
VINCENT: You said you would let her see him! You couldn't stop lying to her even at her last breath! She gave you so much yet like the tormentor you are you offered her neither happiness nor reward. You must tell me why. What is the Jenova Project? Why Lucrecia? Is there a reason why Ifalna left in such haste? Whose life are you to ruin next?
HOJO: Why ask so much of what you can never comprehend?
VINCENT: Because I loved Lucrecia, and you knew that.
HOJO: Such a pity. She led you to your downfall. She deceived so many people. She knew exactly what she had to do, but tried to act naïve. A thin veil of deceit over-shadowed her feelings for you.
VINCENT: But she told me so often of the life she wanted. A beautiful existence, one which she deserved. Those sentiments were not lies. How could they have been? At the end she was reduced to nothing, a barely visible reminiscence of what she once was. But she still dreamed.
HOJO: Sighing. I cannot listen to your pointless accusations. There is still more to be done. I have signed my time away to this project for the next thirty years, maybe more. I have much to accomplish. Pointing to the baby. And that is the key to the next step. Lucrecia had exhausted her uses to me. It has worked out perfectly. All I need now is the other Cetra, but not yet. Wait until she -
VINCENT: You mean Ifalna? Not another. Leave everyone in peace!
HOJO: His hands rubbing his face. Argh... I cannot listen any longer. You are just another waste of space.
VINCENT: Hojo ...
HOJO pulls out a gun.
HOJO: And there is a sure-fire remedy to that problem.
He shoots VINCENT. VINCENT staggers, than falls.
HOJO: Yes, Valentine. I will make sure that you lie in your coffin until you can longer be a nuisance to me. When I die! But you will have to live eternally in death.
Scene Eight : Gast's House, Icicle Inn
Some years later. IFALNA has recently given birth to a girl, AERIS. GAST is anxious to protect them both from the pursuing eye of HOJO and the Shin-ra.
The room is filled with machines and gadgets, a large spotlight in one corner and a camera in the other. A table and a rug are in the centre. Soft piano music is playing, drowning out the icy wind outside. GAST and IFALNA are sitting at the table. The baby is out of sight in the next room.
Enter HOJO, NEVEER and BLOIS. The music stops abruptly.
GAST: Hojo! Look, there is nothing for you here.
The lights flicker.
HOJO: What a reunion. It is a shame we are missing two.
NEVEER and BLOIS look down at their feet.
NEVEER: Quietly. How on earth did he manage to drag us here ...?
GAST: All right. Talk to me about everything, Hojo, take me away if you must. But leave Ifalna, please leave her alone.
HOJO: Save the useless pleas. Do tell me, Professor, how old is the child?
GAST: If you must know, twenty days. You're not to touch her either!
IFALNA: Moving towards HOJO. You said it was me, didn't you? I am the one you need. Well, you can take me now. But only me. Aeris... is not like me. There is not the same glow in her eyes.
HOJO: I am having trouble believing you.
IFALNA: No, I am not lying. So take me away. I... do not mind. I can accept the horrific things awaiting me. But I could not bear the thought of my child suffering. I know what happened to Lucrecia, and it broke my heart to hear of her painful end. It hardly seems possible. So please, I do not want Aeris to face the torment of an empty life with white walls blocking the light.
The lights flicker again.
GAST: Ifalna ...
HOJO: So many protestations over all these years. I have heard silly pleas and desperate cries, yet all these are hindrances to greater things. By succumbing to science, you will create a better understanding of how we have come to be here. Everyone will know everything. Is that not a benefit to the world?
GAST: That does not even compare with human emotions! That is something you have yet to learn. Ifalna and Aeris are to remain with me. They will live with love around them. They shall never be cold. They shall never be alone.
HOJO: I beg to differ. Blois, raise your gun.
BLOIS uncertainly does so.
HOJO: Quieten his whining once and for all.
Pause.
HOJO: Shoot him!
IFALNA: No!
BLOIS: Shaking. Why? Sir?
HOJO: If you don't, I will make Neveer shoot you. And then he will have to shoot Gast.
BLOIS: Oh god.
NEVEER: I've heard enough. This is ridiculous. He raises his gun at HOJO. This is much more acceptable.
GAST: Now, steady on ...
NEVEER: Shut up! I'm going to do what I should have done in Nibelheim.
IFALNA: Stop it, all of you!
HOJO: Neveer, what a traitor you are.
NEVEER: Me? A traitor? No no, you are. Look at what happened to Miss Lucrecia. This is for Vincent as well. We know what went on there too.
In an instant, HOJO darts to the side. The lights suddenly go out completely. In response to HOJO'S movement, NEVEER lets off a shot.
GAST: Gyaa ...
The lights flash back on. GAST slumps to the floor.
IFALNA: Darling!
NEVEER: I... I... how?
HOJO: Well done Neveer. I would have given you a bonus if you weren't originally aiming for me. It is a good thing that you are a worse marksman than even Blois. And he is awful.
NEVEER: Bastard. Bastard, Bastard.
BLOIS: Neveer, I ...
NEVEER: DAMN IT!
GAST: Do not worry Neveer... it was inevitable.
IFALNA: Weeping. My love has disappeared to dust.
HOJO: Now, if you would like me to forget this little performance, Neveer, you will hide the body and take the Cetra woman away. Blois, go and get the child.
BLOIS: Subdued, slowly walking offstage. Yes sir.
NEVEER moves towards GAST'S body. As he passes, he lightly touches IFALNA'S hand. HOJO smirks to himself, satisfied at last. The lights slowly fade and the wind outside dies down.
Scene Nine : ????
The stage is in complete blackness. A small girl, AERIS as a child, walks in from upstage, a tiny light following her. She sits down, downstage, her head lowered. VINCENT'S voice is heard.
VINCENT: For now, I sleep. The darkness is my friend through the lost years. That is how I wish to be left. In a way, I have not lost. I have peace in my solitude. But his hand guided my fate to this coffin-shaped existence. So in a way, he has won.
And in the night, she, this child, is rocked by an invisible mother to sleep. Ifalna sleeps in the next cell, dreaming of what lies beyond the wall. The child speaks single words to people who do not want to hear them. She holds no defence against cruelty and lies. He does not need to act any longer. His performance has ended.
And now Hojo's malice has spread to this child.
AERIS looks at the audience, giving them a knowing glance, and then faintly smiles. She lies down and prepares to sleep, in her isolated, dark spot in the world. The light fades.