Chapter 11: The Rain, the park, and Other things "That was actually pretty nice of Dio to give you the Keystone and all that gil like he did," Aeris smiled at Cloud as they hurried towards the exit.
"Maybe. Still, he gypped me a bit on what he said he was going to give us." Cloud continued walking with the buster sword slung over his shoulder.
"You did kind of wreck his trophy room," Aeris said softly and as no confrontational as she could. "But…," whatever she was going to say next was drowned out by a strong burst of thunder. Aeris leapt in alarm.
"You're scared of lightning. I didn't know that," Cloud said in a half questioning half concerned tone.
"No. It just caught me by surprise is all," Aeris said as she tried to regain her composure.
"How's your hand doing anyway?" She said gazing at the gloved hand that was still tightly clenched into a fist. Not one to take a half shrug as an answer, Aeris pressed the question.
"Come on. You can tell me." Thunder cracked again with a force that shook the Saucer.
"I'll be fine. Just give me a while."
"Do you want me to look at it? I know a few things about that sort of…thing." Anytime that she tried to get a secret out of him, she always tripped over her words. .
"It's nothing. Really. Besides, I already know what's wrong with it." Cloud said. As they came closer to the outside layers of the Golden Saucer, the sound of the rain pounding against the park only got louder.
"It's not going to be any fun trying to catch chocobo in this weather." Aeris said in atone that both seemed worried and seemed to try to convince Cloud to change him mind.
It wasn't just that she didn't care for the idea of riding a large bird bareback though the storm, it was, she didn't really have much say. If Cloud said they were going to do it, she knew within minutes, she'd be soaked to her skin on the back of a chocobo. She knew she'd end up catching a cold to boot.
It's going to be a lot harder to catch the attention of a certain somebody if your eyes are all puffy and snot dribbles out of your nose, she thought. Not that Cloud would ever listen if I suggesting waiting the storm out. He can just be so stubborn sometimes. She smiled at the last thought. He was stubborn, but it was rather endearing. He could be so set in one thing and so completely clueless about so much else. They finally reached the main gate. The rain was pounding against the walls and roof so hard it almost sounded like machine gun fire. By the door, a middle aged workman in a dirty ballcap was half heartedly slapping down signs around the ropeway. Cloud walked up to him and stood there for a few moments before finally catching the workers attention.
"Eh? Sorry, buddy. You gave me a bit of a start there." he said wiping a bit of sweat and grime from his brow. "I help ya'?"
"We're just leaving." Cloud said.
"In this weather? Forget it. You hear all that?" he tipped his head towards the entrance. "Wind's nasty right now and the last bolt stuck the tether line. It'd take a while to fix up. Even if the line wuz up, with the lighnin' and stuff, just wouldn't be safe to let anybody up on the thing. 'Fraid you ain't getting' out of here till it's fixed and it ain't getting fixed until the weather dies down."
"Rambles quite a bit, doesn't he?" Aeris whispered to Cloud. He made no response back, leaving her to wonder whether he hadn't heard her, or if he just hadn't thought the statement worthy of a reply.
"When's it expected to let up?" Cloud asked.
"Do I look like the almighty god of the storm? I fix stuff. Talk to a weatherman 'bout that one," he grumbled as he went back to work setting up his caution signs. Cloud began to walk back into the park with no real destination in mind. He stopped in his tracks to think about what do to and Aeris nearly ran right into him.
"I guess we're staying here for a while," Cloud said.
"I guess so." Aeris smiled back. Not only was she happy to avoid the hassle of the weather, this was just the kind of opportunity she had been waiting for. She just needed a bit of time first. "Would you mind terribly if we split up for a little bit. You can meet up with me in an hour. Make it two. Oh and I'll need some gil."
"I guess that'll work. Why?"
"Oh, just something I was thinking about. I just need a little time to do it in," Aeris giggled and quickly ran off. Cloud looked around. First thing he needed to do was take care of his hand.
When she was satisfied that she was out of his sight and he wasn't going to follow, Aeris doubled back to the shopping area. Aeris wandered around the shop set up for souvenirs and refreshments. Neither of which was what she was looking for.
First she had to rush off and try to find some place that sold perfume. She never carried any (in fact, she didn't really own any) and a theme park was the last place she had expected to find any. She got lucky when she stumbled upon a bottled with one of the cartoon moogles that served as a park mascot on it. It looked like something a little girl would buy to dress up, but there wasn't much else that fit the bill. She paid the shop keep and continued to look for the rest of the items on her list.
"Here." Cloud said as he handed a small screwdriver back to the worker at the entrance. "And thanks," he added after a moment.
"Notta prob, pal" the worker said back to him and continued tinkering with the sky lift. Cloud was left with no direction to go and no real desire to walk around either. He was walking just to be doing something. Anything was better than waiting.
Aeris ducked into the ladies room with her most recent purchases. She took a good look at herself in the mirror before reaching into the bag and retrieving the pale lipstick out fo the pretty princes dress up kit she had bought.
Cloud's wandering eventually led him to the chocobo races. There was a slight seedier side to the Golden Saucer that somebody who was really looking for it could easily be pointed to. He had to give Dio credit for that. The place could serve as family entertainment and yet if you walked to the other side of the square and passed though the unmarked doors, you found the gambling areas. Cloud was tired of the cute side anyway.
Aeris brushed her hair back and then looked in the mirror. "Oh come on, You can do better than that. You're going for perfect, " she said to herself. She ruffled her hair up and started over again.
Cloud crumbled his ticket up and threw it in the garbage. He had place 50 gil on a Green Chocobo called Slowboy who had most certainly lived up to his name. By now this was the fifth loss in a row. It was time to call it quits, he thought. He pushed his way through the crowd and headed towards a that had been carefully placed. It was far enough away from the tracks to where you couldn't smell the birds anymore and close enough to still be able to get in on the action. It was also a bar. Cloud sat down and started to look over the selection. He really had no clue what he wanted. Tifa had always been the one to pick their drinks. She really would have came in handy now. He didn't know the difference between a Gyshal Runner and an Ifrit's Extra Hard. Cloud felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder and jerked around to see a familiar crimson haired man in a wrinkled blue suit.
"Sit down. Me and you are going to have a talk." Reno told him with a breath that stank of booze and a slur in his speech.
Aeris turned her head slightly in different angles to get every view of the touch up job she had done with her makeup. Satisfied, she put it all into the travel bag she had been carrying and set off. There was just one more stop before she went back to meet Cloud.
"Hello there." Aeris said to get the attention of the obvious bored teen running the lost and found.
" 'ey." he said with a trace of boredom.
"I was hoping you could do me a really big favor." Aeris said in her cutest expression and tone of voice.
"What's that?" "Well could you hold onto this bag for me, for a while? I'll be back later on this evening to get it; it's just that I don't have anywhere to put it right now."
"Yeah sure, why not?" He said completely ignoring polices.
"Thank you!" Aeris exclaimed and practically skipped off to find Cloud.
Reno laid some gil down on the counter for the barkeep. "Give this guy what he wants." he told him. The bartender looked over to Cloud waiting for a response.
"Just get me a soda." Cloud said. His head was still throbbing from the beating he had taken earlier and saw no reason to make things worse. The bartender shrugged and poured him his drink and Cloud still half dehydrated from the fight, chugged half of it down immediately.
Reno downed another glass of liquor himself, wiping his face with his sleeve when he was done. "You know, you got a mean hook there." he said to Cloud.
"So what's your game this time?" Cloud asked. It took a moment for Reno to understand the meaning off the question.
"Nothing, actually." Reno knocked back his drink. "Beat me fair and square. I would have already split if I could. But since I can't and I'm stuck here…..well I already set my mind up that I lost and reported in. ' sides I'm off duty now."
"Generous of you." Cloud said bitterly.
"Not really. This job was basically just punishment for screwing up capturing that Ancient a while back." Reno took another drink. "Come to think of it, you had something to do with that too, didn't you? You're getting to be a real bitch, you know that?" There was a moment of silence between them. "Don't worry about it." He said although his slurred speech began to blur the words into one. "Yeah ever consider joining up with the Turks?"
"Nope. How about you switch sides to our team?" He asked even though he already knew the answer.
"You just don't pay enough," Reno said gesturing the bartender for another drink. "You're a decent Joe, you know that? I don't meet many of them in this line of work. We mighta' gotten along, if things were different." Cloud just sat there letting Reno's drunken ramblings continue on. "Somehow I doubt it though. Now get outta here, fore I change my mind." Cloud got up and walked away, taking his soda with him.
Cloud left and headed back to the entrance. He told himself that he was just checking to see if it had opened yet, but deep down he knew he was just burning time. He was spending the night here whether he wanted to or not. He eventually wandered back and sat down on an of the way bench and sat down to think and to rest.
It was several minutes after Cloud took his seat, that Aeris began her search for him. She roamed the hoping to find Cloud. The flower girl fought off the urge to dash around like a compete madwoman, but after waiting so long to finally get this kind of chance, it was tempting. After she had checked out the arcade, the battle arena, the haunted house, and pretty much everywhere in between. She had practically reached the point of frantic. "Hey, Aeris. Where are you off to is such a hurry?" Cloud's voice greeted her announcing his presence.
"Cloud?" Aeris practically jumped. "Are you alright? You look a little off." Cloud gestured for her to sit down beside him.
"I was just looking for you. We never specified a place to meet. I checked everywhere. I even went to the haunted house in case you went to get us rooms."
"That's actually not a bad idea. It looks like we're going to be stuck here tonight. It's not like there's anything else to do anyway," Cloud stood up and casually slung his sword across his back. "One more thing, real quick." Cloud's features turned to a mischievous smile. He reached won into the bushes near were he was sitting. "I went back and picked this up for you." he said pulling out the stuffed cactaur he had won for her before the fight. "You dropped it earlier."
"Before we go to get our rooms. there is one thing I'd like to do first." Aeris smiled sweetly. "Have you ever been on a date?" she asked. Cloud stopped and looked at her for a moment.
"Well…not a real one." He said. "Then let's do it. We have all night and nothing else to do. Besides, you promised me a date." Aeris said cheerfully.
Cloud scratched his head. "I thought you said you'd go out on a date with Me--"
"Then we're in agreement!" Aeris quickly cut in and quickly grabbed his hand before what she had said fully sunk into Cloud head. She practically drug him to the nearest lift tube.
"I think going to the main square would be the best place to start. From there you can decide where you'd like to take me." Aeris said innocently.
"Me?"
"Of course." Aeris smiled as she jumped down into the tube and disappeared. Cloud stood there for a moment alone. "Sometimes I wonder if she's more trouble than she's worth," he sighed aloud before decideing to follow her. Still, her enthusiasm was actually a great change of pace when compared to the rest of the group, not that he would admit it.
Aeris stood there for a moment waiting on her SOLDIER. So much time and effort tracking down all that makeup and a nice pair of shoes and he didn't even notice, she thought unsure whether or not she should be surprised at all. "If I knew that it wasn't going to matter I would have worn my old comfortable boots." She held one of her legs out to get a good look at the red heels she wore. She had gotten lucky and found in one of the stores. They weren't as nice as the ones she had used to infiltrate the Don's mansion but they were nicer than most of the things she had back home.
Cloud emerged from the shoot and dusted himself off. "Okay, so what is it you want to do tonight?"
"Tonight's Enchantment Night! All the attractions are free. How 'bout it you two? There's going to be an entertaining show in Event Square!" an announcer greeted them as he overheard their conversation.
"That sound like fun! Come on Cloud, let's go!" Cloud followed Aeris to the Square reluctantly.
"Is this where we get tickets?" Cloud asked the man at the booth.
"You're not going to need tickets! You are our 100th couple today! You two will be the leads in tonight's show!!!!" The booth man cheerfully announced.
"whoa whoa whoa. What? Us?" Cloud's stammered. He actually seemed less nervous in battle than he did right now.
"Oh, now, it's not hard. Just play it however you want to and the rest of the cast will cover for you." The man explained to Cloud.
"Just come this way." Another Saucer worker beckoned them.
"This sounds like fun. Come on Cloud, let's do it." Aeris said hugging Cloud's arm.
"but…I…oh, alright. But don't complain when you see how bad of an actor I am." Cloud joked but it was still quite obvious he was nervous.
Cloud and Aeris were led to separate dressing rooms by their escort. "Okay, just put on anything that you see in here and get ready. You, sir," he addressed Cloud, "are going to portray the part of the Legendary hero Alfred." he turned his attention to Aeris. "and you Miss, will be the lovely Princess Rosa. Keep that in mind when you choose your costumes."
Cloud entered his room and looked around. Mostly it was cheap outfits and props no better than one would expect from a school play. He picked though the lot and decided on a knight's helmet with a raised visor as well as a pair of knee high boots and a white cape. He unfastened his metal shoulder guard and wrist guard. He was debating whether or not to remove his SOLDIER belt and straps when an announcer knocked on the door.
"You're on in three minutes." he said. Cloud set his sword against the makeup desk and left the room. "That your outfit?" the man asked. "What's wrong with it? I tried to pick something that looked like a legendary hero would wear. Not that I know what someone like that would wear." Cloud explained.
"It's fine, kid. Just fine." The man lead Cloud to the edge of the amphitheatre. Cloud peered out to the stage. It was gaudily decorated with a painting of a house on the hillside and a large chocobo. The worlds "Golden Saucer" were sloppily painted in a style that Cloud assumed was meant to be cute.
"Long, long ago..." An announcer started to speak. Cloud looked around for the source of the voice but couldn't see who ever it was that was supposed to be talking. "An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia..."
"Just let me know when my cue is," Cloud said to the man who led him to stage.
"Whenever you're ready." the man told him.
"Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King, Valvados. What will become of her?"
"Your cue," the man said to Cloud. Cloud peered out to the audience and froze. "I see you have stage fright. Happens to the best of us," the man chuckled.
"Just then, the legendary hero, Alfred, appears!!"
"Go," the man said. Cloud was still trembling in place. "Change your mind?" Cloud shook his head in agreement. "That's okay. We can fix that."
"We can?" Cloud said starting to shake the nervousness.
"Yup." the man put his arm on Cloud's shoulder as if to comfort him. Instead, Cloud found himself pushed right out onto the stage. An actor in a tin and silver cardboard armor danced and spun over to Cloud.
"Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred!" he said and took a bow to Cloud. Cloud looked around nervously and then at the audience. "Hey! It's your line, pal," the man dressed as a knight whispered to Cloud.
"Me?" Cloud whispered back and pointed to himself. He could already see some of the audience starting to chuckle.
"Yeah, you." The knight whispered again. "Ahem! You must be the legendary hero... Alfred!" the knight announced again. "I know in my soul. Please ... please save Princess Rosa! Now... Please talk... to the King....!!"
With those words an actor dressed up like the cliché image of an old wise kind pirouetted out onto the stage. Cloud rushed over to him. Best to get this over with as soon as possible. "Oh... legendary hero, Alfred. You have come to save my beloved Rosa... On the peak of a dangerous mountain... dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados... who's kidnapped Princess Rosa..." The king did some wild gestures with his hands before he continued. "But... you can't beat the Evil Dragon King now! Talk to one who can help you......." A man dressed up as a wizard with a fake beard danced out. Cloud looked back and forth among the group.
Well if he was supposed to be a legendary hero, the wizard would probably be the best bet. They always seemed to know what was going on in these kind of stories. What I wouldn't do for a real wizard to get me out of this mess, Cloud thought.
Cloud walked over to the man in the fake wizard robes and beard. "Help me out," he said naturally.
"I AM the great wizard, Vorman. What do YOU wish to know?" the actor boomed.
"How do you beat the dragon?" Cloud asked. His voice was a bit louder this time but nowhere near the volume the actor used. If the other actors were going to ham things up, he'd play right along with them.
"I, the Great Wizard Vormi, have found the weakness of the Dragon King to be…it must be…Yes….True Love!" Cloud fought a smirk when heard the wizard pronounce his name differently the second time.
"Yes, it must be... True love! The power of love... is the only weapon that can withstand the fangs of the Evil Dragon King...!" The Wizard exclaimed.
As if this play wasn't already hokey enough, Cloud thought.
"Oh what is going to happen next...! Oh... Legendary hero... look!" The narration sounded across the theater.
All the actors did an over exaggerated gasp as a overstuffed fake dragon swung onto the stage with Aeris in it's grips.
Cloud himself gasped as well, but for a much different reason. Aeris had taken much better care in choosing her outfit than he had. Her normal clothes had been swapped for a lowcut sparkling ballroom dress. She wore one of those pointed cone hats that Cloud had often seen princess's in story books wear as well as shinning silver slippers. Aeris looked like she had just stepped out of a fairy tale.
"Gaaaaaaah! "I am the Evil Dragon King... Valvados! I have not harmed the Princess... I have been expecting you!" Cloud nodded in approval. The voice of the dragon had a much better actor than the others he had been working with.
"Please help me... Legendary Hero!" Aeris cried out. Then she looked up at the dragon "... like that?" she whispered.
"Here I come, Legendary hero Alfred! Yes. I already know your name!" The Dragon seemed to spit the words. Cloud instinctually reached for the sword he wore across his back before realizing he left it in the dressing room. A second thought reminded him that the dragon was just another actor and didn't really mean him any harm.
"And now... Legendary Hero...! Here is what will happen... to your beloved......." The wizard spoke trying his hardest to sound melodramatic and spreading his arms to the sky. "now a KISS! The power of True Love!!" Cloud looked up and Aeris and she smiled with a look between anticipation and apology. He wondered if she knew in advance how this was supposed to end. Slowly he moved toward the dragon never loosing eye contact. The actor in the stuffed dragon suit actually backed up a few steps trembling at Cloud's gaze. Cloud slowly and surely closed the distance between them. Right in front of him, Cloud kneeled.
He took Aeris's hand and gently kissed it.
"Cloud... I mean, Alfred..." Aeris stuttered he words without blinking. Cloud raised to his feet again.
"Arrggaahhh!! Curses...... The power of... love!!" the Dragon wailed as pulleys lifted it up and towed it off stage. The Knight, Wizard, and King all ran, or rather danced, over to were Cloud and Aeris stood.
"Oh... look! Love has... Triumphed!" the king announced to the audience. "Now lets all return... And celebrate." The wizard over exaggerated his nodding in agreement.
"Yes let's... yes let's...!" he whispered to Cloud and Aeris, "Okay this is the big exit. Ready?" Cloud gazed down at his princess.
"Ah heck, why not?" He gave her a goofy little smile. Together they all danced off stage.
"Oh, how profound the power of love... And so the legendary hero Alfred and our story live on happily ever after." The narrator spoke as they left.
Backstage, the actors peeled away their beards, wigs, and head gear leaving hem much more comfortable. "Not bad." the wizard said as he lit up a cigarette. 'you took a little while to get going but otherwise, I think you did a bang up job."
"You had me fooled." a grizzly bearded man with deep sunken eyes walked up. When he saw the look of unrecognizing on their faces he said, "I am the evil dragon king." with out changing the one of his gravely voice at all.
"I thought you sounded familiar." Cloud said.
"Would you like a vide tape of your performance out there," the knight asked them. "They don't cost much."
"I'll pass." Cloud said. It wasn't like he actually owned a TV anyway. "We'll just change back into our stuff and get out of here."
"Speaking of clothes" Aeris pointed down to Cloud's feet. "Knee high shiny black boots with baggy pants and a cape? What were you thinking?" "I figured it looked like something a legendary hero would wear." He tugged at his pants as he explained his choice a second time. "Tsk tsk. You simply have no fashion sense." Aeris told him. "Me and you are going to have to go clothes shopping together sometime." Aeris giggled. The rest of the actors laughed as well.
"Maybe not." Cloud shrugged. "But we probably need to get going anyways"
"Alrighty. Just let me get changed again." Aeris said as she rushed to her dressing room.
"So how long have you two been together," The man dressed in the knight's costume asked Cloud after Aeris had left earshot.
"It's actually kind of complicated." Cloud told him. "Frankly, I'm not really sure myself exactly how our relationship is going. Heck. I'm not really sure what our relationship is"
"Been there," The king added with a deep belly laugh.
"Yeah but she really seems like she likes you and all." The man who played the dragon told him.
"You think?" Cloud sat down and began to remove the high boots he had been wearing.
"It's pretty obvious." He knight said. "We see this sort of thing all the time. In fact…"
'Just great.' Cloud thought. I'm going to have to sit here and listen to their stories. 'Guy probably doesn't even know what he's talking about. Of course it seems like Aeris likes me. She likes everybody.' Cloud looked up. 'And this guy is still talking'
When Aeris finished changing and returned fifteen minutes later, she found Cloud in extensive conversation with the actors. They talked about various relationships they had seen and what worked, what didn't and what was just plain weird. If he was trying got get some extra knowledge on the subject or romance, she definitely wasn't going to interrupt. Aeris took a seat behind Cloud quietly.
"At the very least, the date should go better." Aeris smiled without realizing that she had spoken out loud.
"Aeris?" Cloud turned to face her. "How long have you been back here? … No. never mind. Let's get going." Cloud eagerly said. Guess I blew that one, Aeris thought as Cloud led her away.
"Sounds like the weather's let up a bit. Bet they still haven't fixed the line though. So what do you want to do now?" he asked when the reached the Station Square.
Aeris knew immediately. "Let's go on the gondola." Zack had told her about it years ago and she had wanted to ride it ever since. Still, even though Zack had been gone for years, part of her still felt guilty. Like going on the ride with another would be cheating on the memory she had of him. She wondered how much of the sights she could truly enjoy with that hanging over her.
"Enjoy the sights of the Gold Saucer." The ticket taker said snapping Aeris out of her reminiscing. She stepped into the gondola followed by Cloud. The door closed behind them and the gondola started to lift. Aeris could feel the change in height as the ride took off. She peered out the window to the ground below.
"Wow, how nice," she said. Being this far above everything, her problems seemed so insignificant. She glanced back over at Cloud. He had kicked back in his seat and was looking towards the same window she was. Except he wasn't looking at the sight. He was watching her. Aeris blushed and quickly turned back to the window looking out on the multicolored spotlights that shone on them and the rides far below.
The gondola dipped downward and she recognized what was coming up. "Look, Cloud." She called out as the chocobos raced by them. They rode along side the race track for a time and lifted back into the air. Fireworks lit up the sky. "It all looks so different from this high up. It's so pretty." Aeris said in amazement. Just like Zack always told me, she thought for a fleeting instant. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said regretfully as she hung her head. "It bothered me at first," she confessed "how two completely different people could be so alike. The way you walk, gesture…it's exactly the same…I think I saw him in you….But you're not him. You're different. Everything's different now… I'm different … I … What I'm trying to say is … I want to know you. The real you. I..." Aeris stopped silently.
Aeris felt Cloud's fingers underneath her chin, gently lifting her face until she was gazing into his glowing mako eyes.
"It's alright, Aeris. There's things I don't understand either. Things that just don't make sense. But you taught me differently."
Aeris's eyes lit up. "What do you mean, what did I teach you?" she asked.
"That some things just don't matter. There are more important things to take their place." Cloud said softly.
"Like Tifa"
Cloud was silent for a moment. "That's not what I meant. He drew back slightly and began to remove his gloves. She had already seen the scars that covered his hand. Then he removed the other glove. It took her a moment to recognize what she was looking at. It seemed to be a perfectly ordinary normal hand. But it was too perfect. To normal. There were no scars, hairs, misshaped knuckles, or anything. It was fake. Plastic and metal and rubber made into the image of a human hand.
"I had no idea…" the words escaped her mouth. She had to say something but she wasn't sure what. "Did it hurt? Getting it I mean"
"I don't remember getting it. Funny right? You'd think you'd remember something like loosing your hand. But there's lots of things I don't remember. … Memories floating in my head that make no sense." Aeris took hold of his prosthetic by the wrist and touched his fake hand to her cheek.
"I can feel that." Cloud muttered.
"I'll be here for you, Cloud. No matter what happens, I'll be there. Maybe together, together we can both find the real Cloud." She said. The ride came to a stop and the door opened. "Everything will be alright." She said, but she wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or Cloud.
Coming Next Chapter: As I lay me down.
