Final Fantasy VII
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Forty-One
Gold Saucer
Moods lifted once the air cab came to life and slid out of Ropeway Station, carried up into the air by the long cables they had seen on the ridge, taking them towards the Gold Saucer theme park.
Aeris and Tifa both pressed themselves against the windows and looked out as the land gradually fell further away from them and swept past. Land that they knew they would eventually have to walk across in order to head further south. Looking ahead they could see the mountain range spreading further south, and a vast forest separated from them by yet another river they would have to cross.
They were distracted from their map plotting when a large patch of yellow suddenly swept its way beneath them and made them look down. The green grass that lined the floor rapidly faded as yellow sand replaced it, swamping the grass and choking it out till nothing but sand remained. Unfortunately the sand did not belong to a beautiful beach like Costa del Sol. It belonged to a vast desert that stretched across the entire area.
Tifa remembered reading about the desert in the Midgar Times – an entire squad of Shinra soldiers had entered the desert and sank in quicksand. The desert was full of them, and no one knew just how deep they ran. She certainly didn't want to get lost in their without some form of transportation.
Lifting her gaze away from the sand and looking ahead, she quickly spotted the Gold Saucer. They had only seen it from a distance before outside the perimeter of Costa del Sol, but now it was rapidly coming up close into a perfect view. Even Yuffie was forced to break out of the silent mood she had been in since they set off and look out of the windows to see it.
It was not a disappointment. The Gold Saucer looked absolutely spectacular from above, and it would look even better at night. Up close it still looked like a giant gold flower with giant leaves, possibly even taller than Shinra Headquarters back in Midgar. Brightly coloured lights shone out from almost every leaf, shining through the air and reflecting off the gold plating that covered the entire building. Sliding open the air cab window the sound of carnival music hit their ears – festive and happy.
They looked down as they passed near one of the giant leaves, where a roller coaster sped past. They only briefly saw the people there, hearing their joyful screams for only a split second before they sped off back into the park. Aeris could barely contain her excitement and jumped up happily, grabbing hold of Yuffie's arm and pulling her round to see the roller coaster before it disappeared, for they were already beginning to descend to their departure point.
They landed on the very bottom 'leaf' of the theme park, entering a small tunnel that turned dark as they reached the entrance. The sound of the music became louder as they entered, and after a second two they emerged from the dark tunnel and out into the light again, this time inside the park.
Aeris was the first to jump out of the air cab and look around. She saw the tunnel that they had come out of, and saw that it was shaped like the head of a Mog, and that they had come out of its mouth. Turning around she saw a man walking nearby, also dressed like a big, fat, cuddly chick. The man spotted her looking at him, and did a fancy little bow.
"Welcome to the Gold Saucer," he said cheerfully.
Aeris beamed. Other people she had met dressed in mascot outfits were usually very grumpy, having to force a cheerful smile and a cheerful tone when they spoke. This man did not sound at all unhappy. The others came out of the air cab then after saying farewell to the driver, and together they headed towards the entrance leading right into the park. There was a woman, clearly one of the park's staff, waiting for them as they approached.
"Welcome to the Gold Saucer," she announced to the group, sounding just as genuinely cheerful as the Mog-man. "Are you together? A single pass is 3,000 gil, or you can purchase a lifetime pass for 30,000 gil."
Cloud turned to the others. A lifetime pass to the Gold Saucer would grant them entry any time they liked without ever paying again. The other advantage to the lifetime pass is that it applied to all the members of a particular group, and not just one specific person. The question was, did they have 30,000 gil?
Slowly but surely, the others began to empty their pockets. Everyone except Red XIII and Yuffie, that is. Red XIII had nothing to carry money in, and Yuffie just watched with interest as they emptied their pockets. Tifa managed to fish out 3,000 gil from the pocket of her skirt, and Aeris pulled out 1,500. Barret pulled out an impressive 7,000 gil that he had kept on him from the AVALANCHE savings. The only money Cloud had was whatever he picked up from his own jobs, the only recent ones being those he had done for AVALANCHE. So he threw his 3,500 gil onto the floor along with the others.
"That makes 15,000 gil exactly," said Tifa after she quickly counted it. "That's enough for five single passes, but there are six of us."
Aeris sagged heavily. "That means one of us will have to wait," she said.
"Not necessarily," said Red XIII suddenly. Everyone looked up at him curiously, wondering what he meant. "There is still one person who has yet to empty their pockets." He slowly turned his head to the left, where Yuffie was kneeling.
One by one the others caught and turned their gazes to Yuffie. The young hunter blinked several times before she realised what they were waiting for. "No way!" she exclaimed, shaking her head furiously. "My cash is MY cash! I earned it!"
"Stole it, most like," said Barret angrily. He stood up and pointed his gun-arm at the girl. "Empty yer pockets already!"
Yuffie spun around and tried to run, but the moment she turned Tifa, who had quickly moved behind her to prevent the girl's escape, caught her. Tifa grabbed the girl roughly by her arms and lifted her up, turning the girl until she was upside down, her legs kicking wildly in the air like an out-of-control wildcat, and gently shook her.
As Tifa shook the girl, things began to fall from the girl's pockets and clatter onto the floor. Gil, items, and even the materia that she had so clearly stolen from Costa del Sol – they all clattered onto the floor in front of them. Cloud particularly noticed the familiar red ball of Materia that Priscilla had given him back in Junon – the sneaky hunter had clearly swiped it when Cloud hadn't noticed. He ignored that for the moment, for the most important thing was counting the gil that she had, and she clearly had a lot of it.
"1,000… 3,000… 7,000…" Cloud whispered under his breath, counting it up. Tifa finally put the girl down as he counted, but kept a hand on her wrist to stop her from taking it back. Eventually Cloud finished his counting, and looked up. "15,000 gil exactly. Are you sure this is all yours?"
"Of course it is!" spat the girl. "Besides, that guy in the stall wasn't going to use it, so I claimed it!"
Cloud shook his head, and picked up all the money laid out on the floor. "Well, in any case," he said. "We have 30,000 gil." The others all nodded their heads anxiously, wondering just how much of Yuffie's money she had actually stolen (or how much of it actually belonged to them). Cloud was thinking the same, but he turned back to the woman, who was waiting for them. He handed the full 30,000 gil to her, and she smiled.
"Thank you very much," she said. She pulled out a Gold Ticket from her pocket and handed it to Cloud. "If you have a Gold Ticket, you can come and go freely into the park… as long as you don't lose it. Here at the Gold Saucer, there are many places where you must pay with GP. Just think of 'GP' as money that you can only use at the Gold Saucer. GP can be redeemed at the games in the Wonder Square and at the Chocobo Races. Your GP limit is 10,000, so please be careful. Please enjoy yourselves."
She then stepped aside from the door, allowing the group entrance into the park. The group went in, Yuffie sauntering slowly at the back of the group, back in a sulk now that all her cash had been taken from her. Even the Shiva Materia had been taken back from her.
The main Station of the Gold Saucer was a very plain entry point. It was circular shaped, with a number of wide holes bordering the edges, each with a sign above it. In the Gold Saucer, the only way to get from section to section was through those special tubes that carried them safely from place to place. Aeris ran into the Station first and went straight to the map at the head of the room.
"Wow!" she exclaimed cheerfully, looking at all the wonderful attractions available in the park. "Let's have fun!" She turned towards the others behind her. "I know this isn't the right time to do this," she added. She stopped as she spotted Barret standing with his back to them, lost in his thoughts. Aeris ran over and stood beside him. "Hey, Barret, cheer up!"
Barret didn't reply for a moment or two, and didn't look at Aeris. "…I ain't in no cheery mood," he said finally, his voice extremely quiet. "So jes' leave me alone."
"Really? That's too bad," said Aeris. She spun round on her heel and ran away from Barret. She instead ran over to Cloud and linked his arm, putting her head fondly on his shoulder. "Let's go!" she exclaimed.
Ignoring Cloud's befuddled face, Tifa ran to Aeris with a rather shocked expression on her face. "Wasn't that a little harsh, Aeris?" she whispered. She had never seen Aeris act so harsh before.
Aeris lifted her head from Cloud's shoulder and looked at Tifa, not at all bothered by Tifa's almost angry glare. "Just act normal when this happens," she advised her, giving the young woman a wink.
Tifa stared, not entirely sure whether Aeris's thoughts were the same as hers. "You think so?" she asked.
"Of course!" Aeris replied confidently. She let go of Cloud, who still looked extremely confused, and ran back over to Barret. She stopped next to him again, a sly and knowing smile already on her face, and slowly reached up on her toes to get as close to his face as she could. "We're gonna go play…" she said to him.
That seemed to work. Barret's face creased up as a large frown appeared, and he clenched his fist tightly. He started to shake slightly, until finally… "So PLAY!" he exploded, the sound of his angry voice making everyone, including Aeris, jump slightly. "…messin' round #! Don't forget we're after Sephiroth!"
With that he turned and ran towards one of the transportation tubes, the one marked for the 'Wonder Square'. Everyone watched as he jumped down through the hole and disappeared, a loud whooshing sound being the only signs that he was off towards the Wonder Square. When he was gone Aeris slowly turned back to the others, a little surprised.
"…I think he's mad," she said, stating the obvious.
"He'll be fine," Tifa assured her. "He seems to be doing a little better now. We'd better be careful. Sephiroth might be around."
Aeris sighed heavily. "I wish we could just forget everything and have fun!" She shook her head briefly and ran to another of the tubes, this one signalled to head for the Chocobo Races. She turned and gave the group a small wave before jumping down through the hole and disappearing with a whoosh.
Red XIII and Yuffie soon followed suit, choosing their own destinations separate from everyone else. This left Tifa and Cloud the only ones left in the Station.
"Shall we?" asked Tifa.
Cloud looked at her for a moment, and then slowly nodded his head. Even though Aeris wanted to have fun in the park, Cloud was a little distracted. He highly doubted that Sephiroth would be in the Gold Saucer, and every second they wasted there would mean losing more ground between them and Sephiroth. The Shinra were also following him as well. Still, he didn't think it would hurt for them to take maybe an hour's break. It would probably cheer them all up a little.
The first place that Tifa and Cloud headed to was the Wonder Square. The journey through the tubes had been exhilarating – it felt rather like travelling on a wind slide. They were almost sucked easily down the tube before turning upwards as they shot up the stalk of the Gold Saucer structure.
When they emerged it was with the sound of a loud 'whoosh' as they flew straight up out of the tubes, the wind blowing them upwards, until they landed safely and securely on the ground. They took a moment to recover themselves from the journey, and then looked around at the Wonder Square. The tubes had actually taken them to long stem of the leaf structure, and the Wonder Square lay just ahead.
Tifa's eyes widened as she saw it. There were stairs and a lift leading into a long tube that led the way into the Wonder Square itself, but she could already see the flashing lights and hear the ringing sounds that made a successful arcade. On the side of the glass-panelled corridor leading into the arcade centre there was a large notice board flashing up adverts of all the games available, and there were a lot to choose from. She was so glad that Aeris insisted on them coming here, and her spirits were lifting already. She turned to Cloud with a hopeful look in her eyes. He looked back at her and shrugged. Tifa jumped for joy and ran over to the notice board and description of the games.
While she was busy choosing a game to play when they entered the arcade, Cloud stayed where he was by the tube. Unfortunately the sight of the arcade ahead of them did not so easily lift his spirits, and he wasn't very much impressed by the Gold Saucer. His mind stayed entirely focus on the job that they were currently disregarding. Sephiroth could have been on the plains while they were in the air cab, heading towards his next destination. Then, he realised as he crossed his arms in thought, they would surely have spotted him crossing the plains as they flew past. Maybe he was in the Gold Saucer-
"Hey you!" came a peculiar, slightly mechanical voice. "What're you lookin' so down for?"
Cloud looked up in surprise and searched round for the source of the voice. He eventually spotted someone – or rather, something heading towards him.
It looked like a little black cat with a white muzzle, riding on the head of a gigantic stuffed Mog. Cloud stared as it headed towards him. The cat had a little yellow crown sitting on its head and a red cape tied around its neck. In its white-gloved hands was a yellow megaphone, it was clearly a worker in the Gold Saucer. The Mog was mechanical, as was the cat, Cloud presumed, controlled by two small joysticks barely noticeable on the Mog's head, its inner controls hidden by its furry covering and sealed by a large zip at the back. The cat seemed to grin at Cloud as it plodded over to him, guiding the Mog over with the joysticks. Although slightly awkward at walking he managed it quite well, until the Mog and the cat stopped in front of Cloud.
"How 'bout it?" the cat asked him cheerfully. "Want me to read your fortune? A bright future! A happy future! Oh, but don't hold it against me if it's not a good prediction!" The cat stopped and seemed to flush a little, making Cloud wonder whether it was mechanical or not. "Oh, so sorry. I'm a fortune telling machine. The name's Cait Sith!"
Cloud stared at the cat that called itself Cait. He had heard of such fortune telling machines, but they were only a cheap gimmick. Creating them with the ability to move and talk of their own free will was just a stunt to impress customers and keep them in use. It was also clear that whoever had made this particular machine had given it personality as well. Apart from it being a machine on the inside, on the outside it was practically a living being.
"You can only read the future?" asked Cloud, deciding to ignore his inner debate on the existence of the creature.
Cait almost seemed to jump back, the Mog's arms waving around in the air as though in shock. "You kidding?" he, as Cloud decided it was a he, exclaimed. "I can find missing things, missing people, anything!"
Cloud turned to Tifa, who had walked up beside him after noticing the cat and his Mog counterpart head over to Cloud. She nodded slowly at him as he looked at her, answering his silent question. Cloud nodded back and then turned to Cait.
"Then can you tell me where a man named Sephiroth is?"
Cait's black eyes seemed to light up. "Sephiroth, right? Okay, here goes!"
Cloud watched as Cait pressed a few practically invisible buttons on the Mog's head, and then vigorously moved the two joysticks back and forth. In response the Mog made a peculiar mechanical grinding sound and began to rock back and forth in opposition to Cait's movements. After a few moments of this Cait stopped, and a small ticket slid up out of the Mog's head. Cait tore it off and held it out to Cloud with a beaming smile. Cloud took it and looked down at it.
"…Ordinary luck," he read blankly, with Tifa looking over his shoulder. "It will be an active fortune. Give in to the good will of others, and something big'll happen after summer. …Wait… what's this?"
"Huh?" Cait said. He leaned over the Mog and snatched the paper back from Cloud. He was surprisingly flexible for a machine. His eyes scanned the paper for a second, before he carelessly threw it aside. "Let me try it again."
He went through the entire process again. Cloud and Tifa watched as the Mog rocked back and forth, its feet moving with them. Only Cait's balance on top was what kept the Mog from falling over. Another slip of paper then emerged from the head of the Mog, and Cait tore it off and gave it to Cloud, who read it again.
"Be careful of forgetfulness. Your lucky colour is… blue?" Cloud shook his head and threw the paper aside, growing irritated. "…Forget it."
Cait looked up desperately, clutching his megaphone in his hand. "Wait, wait, give me another chance!" he pleaded, sounding as desperate as he looked. He almost jumped up and down on the Mog's head, trying to keep their attention. "Wait! Let me try it again!"
Cloud and Tifa sighed heavily and waited while the rather irritating Cait Sith went through its entire fortune telling process for a third time. This time Cait pushed it harder and the Mog rocked vigorously back and forth, almost slipping over itself in Cait's desperation. Cloud almost got the impression that the machine wanted to talk to them. Perhaps it felt lonely just talking to people day after day, or…
He never got the chance to finish his thoughtful debate, for Cait had finished and was already tearing off the new slip of paper with its last prediction. For a moment Cloud considered just walking away without reading it, for it was sure to be a useless prediction. Still, the cat seemed to want to talk, so he sighed and took the paper. He read it silently this time, and then his blue eyes opened wide.
"…What the?" he cried.
"What does it say?" asked Tifa, pushing herself on her toes so she could see over Cloud's shoulder.
Cloud held the paper up and read it out loud. "What you pursue will be yours. But you will lose something dear."
He lowered the paper and looked at Tifa, the expression in his eyes showing exactly what he was thinking. It sounded like a rather chilling prediction, and was certainly not anything like Cait's previous two attempts. Even Cait looked a little chilled by it, for his face was set and the Mog's body was shivering slightly as though terrified by what it had come up with.
"I don't know if it's good OR bad…" Cait said finally. He put his megaphone down and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "This's the first time I ever got something like THIS." He picked up his megaphone again, and looked at Cloud and Tifa. "Then shall we?"
"Excuse me?" asked Tifa, wondering what the cat was leading up to.
Cait sighed and leaned forward on the Mog. "As a fortune teller," he began, speaking as though it was an obvious assumption. "I can't help but think about this. If I don't see what it leads to, I won't be able to relax." He suddenly jumped upright on the Mog, megaphone raised high. "That's why I'm going with you!"
Tifa slowly turned to Cloud. "Is it all right, Cloud?" she asked him.
"I'm comin' with you no matter WHAT you say!" Cait said with sudden determinism. As if to prove his point, he bounded over behind Cloud and moved the Mog's arms so they gave him a harsh push towards the arcade, making him stagger and he almost fell over.
"H…hey!" Cloud snapped. He looked back at Cait, and then, realising that they weren't going to get rid of the cat anytime soon, he shrugged.
While a very happy Cait dragged off Tifa and Cloud towards the arcade of the Wonder Square, the others were all busy with their own exploration of the Gold Saucer and its other attractions.
Yuffie had set up her place in the Chocobo Races, standing close to the banisters that overlooked the racetrack whilst keeping an eye out for any possible security guards that were watching her. More so, she was looking out for unsuspecting customers, in particular the travellers who were unwary and often had their belongings on show. She didn't stay in any one place for long and moved quickly throughout the Chocobo Square; grinning each time she pinched a new item.
Red XIII found himself in the Event Square on the top floor of the theme park. Safely encased within the leaf's thick structure, he could see and hear everything going on. Crowds of people were lined up on benches in front of a huge stage, waiting for the next show to start. The air was heavy with the scent of popcorn, toffee apples and other such sweets. It made him feel a little sick, but seeing the people so happy made him forget about the others, at least for a little while.
As Barret emerged from the tunnel halfway up the Gold Saucer stem, he found himself at the entrance of the Battle Square. Neither the Wonder Square nor the Speed Square had impressed him at all – in fact he'd found all the noise and the people a mere annoyance. There was no place quiet in the Gold Saucer, which was what he wanted.
Yet, as he looked up at the steps leading up to the Battle Square, felt the faint twinge of a smile at the corner of his mouth. The Battle Square was, as its name said, a place for battles. It was probably the best place to let off a little steam. So he headed briskly up the steps, making sure his gun-arm was cocked and ready to fire, and went through the open entrance.
Aeris, finally, had made her way straight towards the Round Square, on one of the lower levels of the theme park. The Round Square was built on one of the open-leaves of the park, so she could see the sky up ahead of her, as well as the rest of the park. She was sure that at night, when the stars were at their fullest in the sky with all the lights of the Gold Saucer shining around, it would be a most spectacular sight.
Emerald: In response to blah's review – yes, I shall be doing the Cloud and Aeris date. Mainly because it is the default date, and also I've only seen the Cloud and Tifa date once.
