Ciao Italia!
A fusion of the old and the new, the old world architecture of Italy was a magnificent sight to visitors and locals alike. With its innumerous well- preserved churches and marvelous edifices of stone and marble, it truly was amazing to see that something so archaic can still retain its beauty. On one side, sixteenth century flavor was eminent amongst the limestone and granite, while on the other the steel and glass structures graced the azure skies. In the middle of it all was the Leonardo da Vinci airport of Milan, and just approximately a thousand meters above the skies of Italy, a plane was beginning to descend on the facility's airstrips. As it approached the land of pasta and pizza, the plane unfurled its wheels, readying itself for a rather rough landing. Gaining speed by the moment, the plane finally touched the ground, and after a few moments of scouring the vast runway, it connected its doors with one of the airport's terminals.
"Ah! We're finally here!" Selphie said as she stretched her arms and got up. "My goodness my legs are soooo numb!" She helped offered Irvine a hand and helped him up from his chair. "Wakey, wakey sleepy! We're in Italy!" she said in a singsong voice
Irvine ruffled Selphie's hair and approached Rinoa silently. Poking her in the arms, he said, "Rinoa, get up. We're in Milan."
Rinoa's eyes blinked several times before they opened and she mumbled, "Hmmm? We're here already?"
Selphie and Irvine nodded. "Alright," she said as she tried to get up. "Uh, Irvine, can you get my violin from the compartments?" Irvine opened the overhead compartments and carefully placed the violin on Rinoa's lap. After opening the case, she looked over the contents of the instrument and gave him a thumbs-up. "Everything's great! So far so good."
Quistis and Seifer were already near the vehicle's exit. "Irvine, Rinoa, Selphie! You guys should hurry up so that we won't have to line up at the immigration counters!" Seifer called out as he made a dash out of the plane.
Quistis followed him but came back to the plane a few seconds later. "Uh guys, did you see a scarf anywhere?" she asked them. "It's patterned after a leopard's coat and I think I dropped it somewhere."
Rinoa walked towards the exit and looked under each chair on the way out. "Is that it?" she asked when she pointed under the flight attendant seat.
Quistis looked to the direction where Rinoa was pointing and exclaimed. "Yup! That's it!" She flung the scarf over her neck and said, "Thanks Ms. Heartilly!"
Rinoa chuckled and said, "Don't mention it. And it's Rinoa, remember."
Quistis smiled and said, "Oh yeah. Um, Seifer's lining up for us so I guess we should hurry up."
They all followed her to the immigration counters where an impatient Seifer whose arms were crossed was tapping his foot on the floor. "Well that took you guys long enough," he said.
"Sorry!" Rinoa said as she gasped for air. "I had to check on my violin. Can't leave something that costs that much in there."
"Oh right! Gee I must have forgotten about that," Seifer sheepishly said.
Quistis tapped Seifer's shoulder and said, "Hey Seifer, we're next." Seifer turned around and presented their passports to the immigration officer, and after a while, the officer gave them permission to enter.
"Woo! I thought he wasn't going to let us in!" Selphie exclaimed as Seifer gave her back her passport. "That took so long!"
Seifer coughed and said, "Ahem! There are five of us traveling. Isn't that supposed to take a long time?"
"Oh yeah, I never thought about that," Selphie said. "So what are we supposed to do next?"
Seifer pointed to the carts and said, "We're getting our luggage. I'll get one of the carts over there. Irvine, you get one too."
Seifer and Irvine pulled out two luggage carts and brought it back to the girls. "Our luggage is coming out of ramp number five. You girls haul these over there while Irvine and I will watch for the bags, kay?"
The girls nodded and followed Seifer and Irvine to the baggage ramp. A few minutes later, they came out of the airport with all their luggage on both carts. As Rinoa searched the area for their service, a short blonde suddenly approached the group.
"Ciao! Welcome to Italy!" he energetically said. "Can I help you with your luggage sirs and madams?" he told them in fluent English.
Quistis shook her hand and said, "No thank you sir. We're waiting for a man to come and fetch us here so I hope you don't mind looking for other customers."
The blonde just laughed, much to Quistis' surprise, and said, "I know. By the way, my name is Zell Dincht and I'll be your service to Dr. Loire's residence." He offered Rinoa a hand and she gladly shook it.
"Oh! So you are Zell Dincht! Well I am so sorry for the misunderstanding!" Quistis said while blushing pink, red, and maroon.
"No problem!" Zell said as he tipped his chauffeur's hat. "So if you will just let me put your bags in the back of the car, we'll be on our way."
"But where's the car?" Irvine asked the blonde driver.
"Uh, you see that white limo over there? That's our car!" he informed Irvine as he pushed one of the carts towards the vehicle.
"Wow! Dr. Loire must be rich!" Irvine said as he linked his arms with Selphie's and walked to the car.
Seifer pushed the other cart to the car and began unloading the baggage inside the hood. "Can I help you with that Rinoa?" he asked her.
Rinoa looked down at her violin case and said, "Thank you Seifer but I'd prefer if this stayed with me."
"Okay," Seifer replied. "So where is Dr. Loire's house Zell?"
"Well sir, his house is located in Cremona. It's a three hour drive from here to Dr. Loire's place so you guys just sit back and relax okay?"
They all entered the limousine and Zell started the car. He began driving and decided to get to know them a bit better. "So once again, welcome to Italy! I'll introduce myself formally this time. My name is Zell Dincht, and I work as second assistant to the good doctor. We're now at the region of Lombardia, otherwise known in English as Lombardy. Cremona is a two hour drive from Milan, so I guess this trip will be taking us a bit longer than the usual train rides taken by most visitors. Although the ride will take this long, you may take the time to enjoy the scenery outside. You will notice that Italy's countryside is much more interesting than America. Not that I'm biased against the U.S. of A. for that matter, but if you look around, you will notice a lot of old century buildings lining the area." They were outside the city of Milan now, so more and more of the country was visible outside the car windows.
"So, Dr. Loire told me that Ms. Heartilly is coming to see him. By the way Ms. Heartilly, I am a BIG fan of your music. I just love your virtuosity and your technique! And the emotion you just pour into your music. So perfect!" he exclaimed as they entered a tunnel.
"Thanks," Rinoa plainly said. "Um, you were saying that this is a two hour drive? Why did you tell us that it would take three hours earlier?"
"Oh that!" he said while still looking at the road. "Dr. Loire asked me to take you guys to one of the fine dining restaurants in Cremona. I've got to say, the food there is EXCELLENTE!"
"How nice of Dr. Loire," Quistis said. "But isn't it late for lunch?" she asked Zell as she looked at her watch.
Zell looked back from his position and said, "Ma'am, in this country on Sundays, people can eat lunch until four in the afternoon. And since today is a Sunday, well, you get the point."
"Ah...that's an interesting eating habit," Quistis said as she fumbled her bag for some lipstick. "So what kind of food are they serving in that restaurant?" she asked the punky blonde.
"Well, they have the most heavenly pastas in all of Italy, with some wood- fired pizzas and great Italian main courses like Osso Buco to add to that. And their tiramisu is fab!" he informed her.
"Mmmm! Tiramisu! I'm looking forward to that," said Quistis as she looked at herself in her cosmetic mirror while applying some lipstick. "What's this place called?"
Zell puffed his chest and proudly said, "It's the La Trattoria del Forno! My parents own the restaurant."
Selphie leaned forward and put both her hands on Zell's headrest. "Your parents are chefs and you work with a brilliant professor of music? But why didn't you pursue a cooking career?"
Zell, keeping his eyes on the road, sighed and replied, "I just thought I didn't want to spend the rest of my life chopping onions or making sauce. Selfish of me don't you think? But then, I've always wanted to try something new—like studying art, even if that art pertains to music."
When Quistis put her makeup kit back into her purse, she told Zell, "It's not selfish at all. I guess your parents are very much proud of you for trying out this new career of yours. It never hurts to try anything new right? And besides, if you provide for your family with this art career, it doesn't become selfish of you at all."
They came to a stop and Zell turned around. "You really think so?"
Quistis nodded and said, "I don' think...I know so."
Zell smiled and started driving again when the traffic light turned green. After hours of passing by a few town, cities, and a whole bunch of plains and grassy hillsides, they finally arrived at the Northern Italian town of Cremona.
"Wow! This place looks really beautiful!" Rinoa blurted out as the car passed by the streets. "I've never seen any place so old yet still so...so...well preserved."
"I know!" Quistis exclaimed as they passed by an old church. The entire group would just point at this building or at that statue with "oohs" and "aahs". Soon enough, they arrived at a quaint little restaurant hidden behind one of Cremona's wonderful churches. In front of the building was a garden with rose trellises all over the place, while the interior of the restaurant was decorated Old world style. It was half empty now, as it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, but they could pretty much hear the chitter chatter and the clinking of utensils from the inside.
"So this is the place. It looks beautiful! Are we dining al fresco?" Quistis asked Zell.
"Well, if you want al fresco, we can get you one of the tables out here in the garden. Just wait here," Zell told them as he ran inside.
Seifer chose one of the larger tables and asked everyone to take a seat. A few minutes later, Zell came out with a woman whom they assumed to be his mother.
"Hey guys, I want you to meet my mother, Ma Dincht," he told them as the woman approached the table.
"Nice to meet ya all young people!" she said with a Southwestern accent. "So Zell here tells me that a really famous violinist is dining here today."
Rinoa waved shyly at her and Ma Dincht warmly shook her hand and said, "Well, it's really wonderful to have you all here. Say, you know, although I love violin concertos and all, I am an even bigger fan of singers. You resemble someone I used to listen to..."
Rinoa looked like she had just been hit by a truck and said, "Uh, maybe a lot of people look like me?"
Ma Dincht shook her head and said, "Perhaps, but you are a striking resemblance of this wonderful singer. Oh well, maybe I'm just imagining things."
Quistis asked Ma Dincht, "Oh Mrs. Dincht, I'd just like to know but where did you get that southern accent? And you speak perfect English too. Are you from the U.S.?
Ma Dincht smiled and said, "Why, yes we are. We moved here from Texas about five years ago. Ever since then, Italy's been treating us real nice. Now, let's get settled down before you all get hungry. I know you've been sitting in that crampy plane and that limo for hours without a bite. Pietro! E venito qui e portarloro dell'acqua minerale! (Come here and bring them some mineral water)" She turned to them and said, "The tap water in Italy is nasty so you'd better stick to the mineral stuff. Although they have all these lovely buildings and all, they don't have our wonderful American water. And if you need anything else to drink, like juice or some soft drinks or even some alcohol, you all just tell Pietro here okay?" She returned to the kitchen and a tall Italian man in his forties came out with bottles of water and a few menus for them.
"So you are the violinist Rinoa Heartilly eh?" he asked in a very strong Italian accent as he set down the bottles of water on the table. "My wife loves your music. It is so beautiful how you play Signore Stradivari's magnificent violins."
"Thank you sir," she told him humbly.
"No! No! Madame, it is nothing to thank me about. You have pure talent and you should know it," he said as he placed the last bottle on the table. "So tell me, what do you want to eat?"
They all looked at the menu and Seifer began, "Zell tells me that you have excellent Osso Buco here. I'll have that one."
"Ah! The Osso Buco! Excellent choice signore," he said as he wrote down Seifer's order on a slip of paper.
"What about this spinach ravioli? I'm a big fan of ravioli!" Selphie exclaimed. "One for me too," Irvine added.
"So two raviolis for the two lovers," he noted as he jotted two raviolis on the paper. Irvine and Selphie blushed heavily.
"Um, is the Veal Milanese good here?" Rinoa asked Pietro.
"Miss Rinoa, all of Mrs. Dincht's creations are masterpieces just like your violin. All of them are good," he told her with a smile.
"So, which is better, the seafood pasta or the veal Milanese?" she asked the waiter.
"Hmmm...I think you'll enjoy of our seafood pasta more," he told her.
"Okay! I'll have that!" Rinoa beamed at him.
After glancing at the menu Quistis said, "I'm having the Pizza Margherita."
Pietro wrote that last order down and asked Zell, "Zell, che lei vuole mangiare (what do you want to eat)?"
Zell looked at the menu and said in very rapid Italian, "I'll have the seared sea bass."
Pietro nodded and went back to the kitchen. They talked for a while until Pietro came back with their orders. After giving each one their dishes he wished them all a good meal and went back inside.
"Oh gosh this pizza is sooooo good! I've had great Margheritas in New York but this just blows those pizzas out of the water," Quistis said as she took a bite of the pizza.
"Quisty, try this Osso Buco! It's fabulous!" Seifer said as he put a piece of veal into her mouth.
"Wow! Zell your parents are such great chefs!" she said.
"Thanks!" Zell said.
"Zell these pastas are great!" Rinoa told the blonde punk sitting from across the table. "Can you cook this well too?"
"Well, I can do just a bit of cooking but not much. Just some omelets actually," he sheepishly said as he took a bite of his fish.
After they finished their meal, Ma Dincht bid them goodbye as they drove to Dr. Loire's estate. Ten minutes passed, and they were at the gates of an opulent mansion whose gates were graced by marble angels. After Zell spoke to a small speaker in Italian, the gates opened and he continued driving.
"Wow! Dr. Loire's estate is huge!" Selphie said as she looked at the beautiful hills and lakes that their vehicle passed by on the way to a large mansion in the middle of it all.
Irvine looked at the Garden leaf sculptures and stone statues neatly placed around the area. "This Garden reminds me of a painting...very much like one hanging around in Carnegie Hall's main hall. Isn't that..."
"Vividarium?" Seifer interrupted. "Yeah it is. I heard that the garden in that painting was patterned after this one. Looks gorgeous in oils, but I never knew it would look this beautiful in real life."
"Wow! I never imagined that I would actually see the real thing!" Irvine said as he gazed into the beautiful garden maze made from carefully trimmed bushes.
Quistis then turned their attention to a large house on the hill. "Look! It's Dr. Loire's mansion! Isn't it gorgeous?"
Rinoa was all the while enjoying the view of the garden. Never did anything look so peaceful—so tranquil. "It's beautiful..."
The ride to doctor Loire's house took them about five minutes. When they finally got there, a long-haired man with a slender, brunette girl greeted them.
"Hi!" he warmly said. "You must be Rinoa Heartilly! I'm Laguna Loire and I'd like to welcome you to my estate." He offered Rinoa his hand.
Rinoa walked towards Laguna and returned the gesture. "Pleased to meet you Dr. Loire."
"Oh, this is my daughter Ellone. She's a really big fan of yours," he told Rinoa.
Ellone shyly took the violinist's hand and said, "It is a pleasure to meet such a great musician like you, Miss Heartilly."
"Oh please, call me Rinoa," she said as she gave the other girl a warm smile before turning back to Laguna. "So Dr. Loire..."
"Please call me Laguna. I don't like the Doctor gig. I feel so old when people call me that," he said with a laugh.
"Okay...Laguna, um do you think you can inspect my Stradivarius? I mean, you are trained to check out cursed relics right?" she asked the professor.
"Well, I have had the opportunity to work with instruments like these before. But I don't think we'll be able to check out curses out here in the open eh?" he told them. "Why don't you come inside and I'll ask my butler to bring all your luggage in. Zell, please prepare my lab instruments."
"Yes sir!" he ecstatically said as he ran inside the house.
"That is one active boy," Laguna chuckled. "Alright, Sophia will show you to your rooms. I hope you enjoy your stay here."
Seifer looked around the mansion with his mouth wide open, "We sure will."
"Rinoa, if you will please follow me to my lab," he told her. As the others were led to their rooms, Rinoa followed Dr. Loire across a hallway filled with paintings made by great artists such as Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. Her eyes would follow the magnificent works of art and she stopped when she saw a portrait of Laguna, Ellone, and another young man.
"Dr. Loire, who is that?" she asked him, staring at the man in the painting. She immediately felt her heart pounding and secretly hoped that he wouldn't say that he was ...
"That is my son," he said as he stopped by a door. "His name is Squall but he isn't here right now. He works as one of the managers in the Teatro alla Scala in Milan but he comes back every night to the house. Why are you breathing like that? You like him don't you?" he smirked at the young violinist.
She blushed red, redder, and reddest and replied, "W-w-w-well, I don't know! But I guess I thought you might say that he was Ellone's husband. I don't know! Can't I breath like this? It's a free world!"
Laguna laughed and said, "Whatever. Follow me."
Rinoa nodded, still looking at the man and decided to follow Dr. Loire. She was amazed at her find in the next hallway. Rather than finding another gallery of paintings here, a bunch of violins so carefully placed in airtight display cases were displayed all over the halls. "Wow! This is...these are some of the legendary Stradivaris! And Amatis! And the others are Guarnieris! And here's a really antique French violin! Where did you get all these violins Sir Laguna?"
"You can say that I'm a collector of these things," he nonchalantly told her.
'I wonder where he got that money,' Rinoa wondered while drooling at the beautiful antique instruments.
After a long walk across a vast gallery of rare instruments, Rinoa finally entered a lab and set her violin down on the table. "Wow! This is amazing! You actually reproduce violins here?"
Laguna walked over to a table where a cloth lay on a violin that seemed to be brand new. "You can say that. I only make custom violins though, so these things won't come out on the market. Want to try it out?" He handed the violin to Rinoa and she began playing it. After she played a few notes, she inhaled deeply in satisfaction and said, "This is a wonderful violin! You can even mistake the sound for antique! So this is new?"
Laguna nodded and answered, "Well, since I have all these violins to compare with, I usually analyze the sound of each instrument with a special device so that I can reproduce the effect in a newer violin. I'll show you some of my 20th century reproductions here."
Laguna walked towards a door and opened it, finding Zell inside arranging some of the latest violins. Rinoa followed him and said, "Wow! This is your work? It's marvelous!"
Zell waved at her and said, "Hi Miss Heartilly! Glad you like Dr. Loire's violins. You should try them out. They sound like antiques!" He returned his attention to one of the violins he was carefully placing in the shelves.
Laguna took a violin from one of the shelves and gave it to Rinoa. "These violins are usually sold to music houses and young musical enthusiasts all over the world. Some young artists need great violins today and the only way you can achieve that without having to provide them with the horrendously pricey antiques is to replicate the models of the better, older ones. You want to try this out? This is one of my best."
Rinoa gladly took the violin and began playing octaves on it. "Mmmm...this sounds like heaven. If I should say Sir Laguna, this sounds superior to most Guarnieris and even better than a few Stradivaris," she complemented him.
Laguna laughed and put the violin back on the shelves. "The bad ones that is."
Rinoa laughed at his joke and asked, "So how much does one cost?"
Laguna blatantly said, "About a hundred grand, more or less."
Rinoa's mouth dropped and she stammered, "A h-h-hundred grand? Isn't that a bit too pricey for a new violin?"
Laguna replied, "Well if you think about it, a violin that sounds better than some Strads should cost much. I'd put it up at an even higher market price if only it were antique."
"Wow! A hundred grand. Well, you're the maker, so I guess you have the say on these instruments'prices. Anyhow, can we get back to my Strad?" Rinoa asked him.
He pushed back the stray bang over his ear and said, "Sure. Now if you will just tell me which one of the instruments this is."
Rinoa opened the case and said, "This is the Cremona 1715 Seduzione." She gave the violin to Laguna and he began looking at the instrument in a very scientific way.
"Interesting...very interesting. Ah, Rinoa, would it be alright if you left this here for the time being? I'm going to have to work on this alone." A look of shock displayed on Rinoa's face and Laguna chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't disassemble your Strad if that's what you're thinking."
Rinoa fanned herself with her hands and said, "Oh! I thought you were going to do that."
Laguna laughed and said, "Nonsense! I never do that to these priceless instruments. Oh, and if you need something to practice on, you can use one of the Strads in the gallery." He fished out a key from his pocket and accompanied Rinoa to the hallway of instruments.
"You're serious right?" Rinoa skeptically asked him. "These are your antiques."
Laguna replied, "I am a doctor. I'm supposed to be serious. So which one do you want?"
Rinoa was at a loss for words. Some of the most wonderful Strads were on display in this house, and she couldn't help but gaze at them longingly. They were so perfect—the instruments crafted by God's most talented artisans. The accuracy and precision taken into creating such wonders could only have been lent by the Lord's most keen ear, and it was no doubt that these were the pinnacle of the violinist's art—the perfection, the beauty, and the quality.
"Ah, will you choose one for me?" she asked him sheepishly.
"What kind of sound do you like?" Laguna asked her.
"Um, I like deep, rich, and resonant," she answered.
"Then I have just the thing for you," he said as he pushed a few buttons in a computer located in the middle of the hallway. On the other side of the gallery, a blue light was blinking constantly, signaling Rinoa and Laguna to go to that section of the room. Near the blinking blue light was a little circle with green light spiraling down to a red spot. When the green finally reached the red, a slot opened where a key ought to be inserted.
"You gotta keep this under lock and key. These are too valuable to be left out in the open," he said as he inserted a high-tech looking key into the slot. After it registered okay, the violin inside descended from the display case into another cubicle below the glass. "This is the Cremona 1718 "Oceano". People called it so because they say that it has one of the most wonderful resonating qualities ever, much like the ocean. And if you listen to it, it has one of the deepest, richest sounds you'll ever hear from a string instrument. And here's the bow that accompanies it," Laguna informed her as he gave her the precious violin with the bow.
Rinoa gave it a swing of the bow and she shuddered from the very first note. "This is magnificent. Thank you Sir Laguna!"
Laguna laughed and said, "Don't mention it. Now I have to work on your violin okay? So you just ask Sophia to bring you to your room."
Rinoa nodded and exited the hallway, finding a pudgy lady waiting for her. "Miss Rinoa, if you will please come with me to your room."
Sophia led her across the house until they reached a beautiful bedroom adorned with paintings, statuettes, and Italian glass mirrors of all sorts. "Is everything in this house beautiful?" she asked Sophia.
"Why yes madame, if you think so," she said as she shut the door behind her. "Enjoy your stay please and feel free to contact me."
Rinoa smiled and said, "Alright!" She set the violin carefully on the table and fell on the bed. "Wow! This house is spectacular." She rested for a few minutes and her thoughts began drifting back to the handsome man in the portrait. "That guy sure is cute. Wonder if he's already taken," she said to herself as she stared at the ceiling.
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Wah! Long chapter alert! I hope this chapter's still keeping you awake. If you do like it, will you please add a review? Thanks for those whom have given reviews by the way and please don't worry about Secrets in the Dark. I'm already writing the next chapter as we speak (or read). So, the next chapter will be Squall's first appearance in the story so cross your fingers! Chapter 5: Our Eyes Met.
A fusion of the old and the new, the old world architecture of Italy was a magnificent sight to visitors and locals alike. With its innumerous well- preserved churches and marvelous edifices of stone and marble, it truly was amazing to see that something so archaic can still retain its beauty. On one side, sixteenth century flavor was eminent amongst the limestone and granite, while on the other the steel and glass structures graced the azure skies. In the middle of it all was the Leonardo da Vinci airport of Milan, and just approximately a thousand meters above the skies of Italy, a plane was beginning to descend on the facility's airstrips. As it approached the land of pasta and pizza, the plane unfurled its wheels, readying itself for a rather rough landing. Gaining speed by the moment, the plane finally touched the ground, and after a few moments of scouring the vast runway, it connected its doors with one of the airport's terminals.
"Ah! We're finally here!" Selphie said as she stretched her arms and got up. "My goodness my legs are soooo numb!" She helped offered Irvine a hand and helped him up from his chair. "Wakey, wakey sleepy! We're in Italy!" she said in a singsong voice
Irvine ruffled Selphie's hair and approached Rinoa silently. Poking her in the arms, he said, "Rinoa, get up. We're in Milan."
Rinoa's eyes blinked several times before they opened and she mumbled, "Hmmm? We're here already?"
Selphie and Irvine nodded. "Alright," she said as she tried to get up. "Uh, Irvine, can you get my violin from the compartments?" Irvine opened the overhead compartments and carefully placed the violin on Rinoa's lap. After opening the case, she looked over the contents of the instrument and gave him a thumbs-up. "Everything's great! So far so good."
Quistis and Seifer were already near the vehicle's exit. "Irvine, Rinoa, Selphie! You guys should hurry up so that we won't have to line up at the immigration counters!" Seifer called out as he made a dash out of the plane.
Quistis followed him but came back to the plane a few seconds later. "Uh guys, did you see a scarf anywhere?" she asked them. "It's patterned after a leopard's coat and I think I dropped it somewhere."
Rinoa walked towards the exit and looked under each chair on the way out. "Is that it?" she asked when she pointed under the flight attendant seat.
Quistis looked to the direction where Rinoa was pointing and exclaimed. "Yup! That's it!" She flung the scarf over her neck and said, "Thanks Ms. Heartilly!"
Rinoa chuckled and said, "Don't mention it. And it's Rinoa, remember."
Quistis smiled and said, "Oh yeah. Um, Seifer's lining up for us so I guess we should hurry up."
They all followed her to the immigration counters where an impatient Seifer whose arms were crossed was tapping his foot on the floor. "Well that took you guys long enough," he said.
"Sorry!" Rinoa said as she gasped for air. "I had to check on my violin. Can't leave something that costs that much in there."
"Oh right! Gee I must have forgotten about that," Seifer sheepishly said.
Quistis tapped Seifer's shoulder and said, "Hey Seifer, we're next." Seifer turned around and presented their passports to the immigration officer, and after a while, the officer gave them permission to enter.
"Woo! I thought he wasn't going to let us in!" Selphie exclaimed as Seifer gave her back her passport. "That took so long!"
Seifer coughed and said, "Ahem! There are five of us traveling. Isn't that supposed to take a long time?"
"Oh yeah, I never thought about that," Selphie said. "So what are we supposed to do next?"
Seifer pointed to the carts and said, "We're getting our luggage. I'll get one of the carts over there. Irvine, you get one too."
Seifer and Irvine pulled out two luggage carts and brought it back to the girls. "Our luggage is coming out of ramp number five. You girls haul these over there while Irvine and I will watch for the bags, kay?"
The girls nodded and followed Seifer and Irvine to the baggage ramp. A few minutes later, they came out of the airport with all their luggage on both carts. As Rinoa searched the area for their service, a short blonde suddenly approached the group.
"Ciao! Welcome to Italy!" he energetically said. "Can I help you with your luggage sirs and madams?" he told them in fluent English.
Quistis shook her hand and said, "No thank you sir. We're waiting for a man to come and fetch us here so I hope you don't mind looking for other customers."
The blonde just laughed, much to Quistis' surprise, and said, "I know. By the way, my name is Zell Dincht and I'll be your service to Dr. Loire's residence." He offered Rinoa a hand and she gladly shook it.
"Oh! So you are Zell Dincht! Well I am so sorry for the misunderstanding!" Quistis said while blushing pink, red, and maroon.
"No problem!" Zell said as he tipped his chauffeur's hat. "So if you will just let me put your bags in the back of the car, we'll be on our way."
"But where's the car?" Irvine asked the blonde driver.
"Uh, you see that white limo over there? That's our car!" he informed Irvine as he pushed one of the carts towards the vehicle.
"Wow! Dr. Loire must be rich!" Irvine said as he linked his arms with Selphie's and walked to the car.
Seifer pushed the other cart to the car and began unloading the baggage inside the hood. "Can I help you with that Rinoa?" he asked her.
Rinoa looked down at her violin case and said, "Thank you Seifer but I'd prefer if this stayed with me."
"Okay," Seifer replied. "So where is Dr. Loire's house Zell?"
"Well sir, his house is located in Cremona. It's a three hour drive from here to Dr. Loire's place so you guys just sit back and relax okay?"
They all entered the limousine and Zell started the car. He began driving and decided to get to know them a bit better. "So once again, welcome to Italy! I'll introduce myself formally this time. My name is Zell Dincht, and I work as second assistant to the good doctor. We're now at the region of Lombardia, otherwise known in English as Lombardy. Cremona is a two hour drive from Milan, so I guess this trip will be taking us a bit longer than the usual train rides taken by most visitors. Although the ride will take this long, you may take the time to enjoy the scenery outside. You will notice that Italy's countryside is much more interesting than America. Not that I'm biased against the U.S. of A. for that matter, but if you look around, you will notice a lot of old century buildings lining the area." They were outside the city of Milan now, so more and more of the country was visible outside the car windows.
"So, Dr. Loire told me that Ms. Heartilly is coming to see him. By the way Ms. Heartilly, I am a BIG fan of your music. I just love your virtuosity and your technique! And the emotion you just pour into your music. So perfect!" he exclaimed as they entered a tunnel.
"Thanks," Rinoa plainly said. "Um, you were saying that this is a two hour drive? Why did you tell us that it would take three hours earlier?"
"Oh that!" he said while still looking at the road. "Dr. Loire asked me to take you guys to one of the fine dining restaurants in Cremona. I've got to say, the food there is EXCELLENTE!"
"How nice of Dr. Loire," Quistis said. "But isn't it late for lunch?" she asked Zell as she looked at her watch.
Zell looked back from his position and said, "Ma'am, in this country on Sundays, people can eat lunch until four in the afternoon. And since today is a Sunday, well, you get the point."
"Ah...that's an interesting eating habit," Quistis said as she fumbled her bag for some lipstick. "So what kind of food are they serving in that restaurant?" she asked the punky blonde.
"Well, they have the most heavenly pastas in all of Italy, with some wood- fired pizzas and great Italian main courses like Osso Buco to add to that. And their tiramisu is fab!" he informed her.
"Mmmm! Tiramisu! I'm looking forward to that," said Quistis as she looked at herself in her cosmetic mirror while applying some lipstick. "What's this place called?"
Zell puffed his chest and proudly said, "It's the La Trattoria del Forno! My parents own the restaurant."
Selphie leaned forward and put both her hands on Zell's headrest. "Your parents are chefs and you work with a brilliant professor of music? But why didn't you pursue a cooking career?"
Zell, keeping his eyes on the road, sighed and replied, "I just thought I didn't want to spend the rest of my life chopping onions or making sauce. Selfish of me don't you think? But then, I've always wanted to try something new—like studying art, even if that art pertains to music."
When Quistis put her makeup kit back into her purse, she told Zell, "It's not selfish at all. I guess your parents are very much proud of you for trying out this new career of yours. It never hurts to try anything new right? And besides, if you provide for your family with this art career, it doesn't become selfish of you at all."
They came to a stop and Zell turned around. "You really think so?"
Quistis nodded and said, "I don' think...I know so."
Zell smiled and started driving again when the traffic light turned green. After hours of passing by a few town, cities, and a whole bunch of plains and grassy hillsides, they finally arrived at the Northern Italian town of Cremona.
"Wow! This place looks really beautiful!" Rinoa blurted out as the car passed by the streets. "I've never seen any place so old yet still so...so...well preserved."
"I know!" Quistis exclaimed as they passed by an old church. The entire group would just point at this building or at that statue with "oohs" and "aahs". Soon enough, they arrived at a quaint little restaurant hidden behind one of Cremona's wonderful churches. In front of the building was a garden with rose trellises all over the place, while the interior of the restaurant was decorated Old world style. It was half empty now, as it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, but they could pretty much hear the chitter chatter and the clinking of utensils from the inside.
"So this is the place. It looks beautiful! Are we dining al fresco?" Quistis asked Zell.
"Well, if you want al fresco, we can get you one of the tables out here in the garden. Just wait here," Zell told them as he ran inside.
Seifer chose one of the larger tables and asked everyone to take a seat. A few minutes later, Zell came out with a woman whom they assumed to be his mother.
"Hey guys, I want you to meet my mother, Ma Dincht," he told them as the woman approached the table.
"Nice to meet ya all young people!" she said with a Southwestern accent. "So Zell here tells me that a really famous violinist is dining here today."
Rinoa waved shyly at her and Ma Dincht warmly shook her hand and said, "Well, it's really wonderful to have you all here. Say, you know, although I love violin concertos and all, I am an even bigger fan of singers. You resemble someone I used to listen to..."
Rinoa looked like she had just been hit by a truck and said, "Uh, maybe a lot of people look like me?"
Ma Dincht shook her head and said, "Perhaps, but you are a striking resemblance of this wonderful singer. Oh well, maybe I'm just imagining things."
Quistis asked Ma Dincht, "Oh Mrs. Dincht, I'd just like to know but where did you get that southern accent? And you speak perfect English too. Are you from the U.S.?
Ma Dincht smiled and said, "Why, yes we are. We moved here from Texas about five years ago. Ever since then, Italy's been treating us real nice. Now, let's get settled down before you all get hungry. I know you've been sitting in that crampy plane and that limo for hours without a bite. Pietro! E venito qui e portarloro dell'acqua minerale! (Come here and bring them some mineral water)" She turned to them and said, "The tap water in Italy is nasty so you'd better stick to the mineral stuff. Although they have all these lovely buildings and all, they don't have our wonderful American water. And if you need anything else to drink, like juice or some soft drinks or even some alcohol, you all just tell Pietro here okay?" She returned to the kitchen and a tall Italian man in his forties came out with bottles of water and a few menus for them.
"So you are the violinist Rinoa Heartilly eh?" he asked in a very strong Italian accent as he set down the bottles of water on the table. "My wife loves your music. It is so beautiful how you play Signore Stradivari's magnificent violins."
"Thank you sir," she told him humbly.
"No! No! Madame, it is nothing to thank me about. You have pure talent and you should know it," he said as he placed the last bottle on the table. "So tell me, what do you want to eat?"
They all looked at the menu and Seifer began, "Zell tells me that you have excellent Osso Buco here. I'll have that one."
"Ah! The Osso Buco! Excellent choice signore," he said as he wrote down Seifer's order on a slip of paper.
"What about this spinach ravioli? I'm a big fan of ravioli!" Selphie exclaimed. "One for me too," Irvine added.
"So two raviolis for the two lovers," he noted as he jotted two raviolis on the paper. Irvine and Selphie blushed heavily.
"Um, is the Veal Milanese good here?" Rinoa asked Pietro.
"Miss Rinoa, all of Mrs. Dincht's creations are masterpieces just like your violin. All of them are good," he told her with a smile.
"So, which is better, the seafood pasta or the veal Milanese?" she asked the waiter.
"Hmmm...I think you'll enjoy of our seafood pasta more," he told her.
"Okay! I'll have that!" Rinoa beamed at him.
After glancing at the menu Quistis said, "I'm having the Pizza Margherita."
Pietro wrote that last order down and asked Zell, "Zell, che lei vuole mangiare (what do you want to eat)?"
Zell looked at the menu and said in very rapid Italian, "I'll have the seared sea bass."
Pietro nodded and went back to the kitchen. They talked for a while until Pietro came back with their orders. After giving each one their dishes he wished them all a good meal and went back inside.
"Oh gosh this pizza is sooooo good! I've had great Margheritas in New York but this just blows those pizzas out of the water," Quistis said as she took a bite of the pizza.
"Quisty, try this Osso Buco! It's fabulous!" Seifer said as he put a piece of veal into her mouth.
"Wow! Zell your parents are such great chefs!" she said.
"Thanks!" Zell said.
"Zell these pastas are great!" Rinoa told the blonde punk sitting from across the table. "Can you cook this well too?"
"Well, I can do just a bit of cooking but not much. Just some omelets actually," he sheepishly said as he took a bite of his fish.
After they finished their meal, Ma Dincht bid them goodbye as they drove to Dr. Loire's estate. Ten minutes passed, and they were at the gates of an opulent mansion whose gates were graced by marble angels. After Zell spoke to a small speaker in Italian, the gates opened and he continued driving.
"Wow! Dr. Loire's estate is huge!" Selphie said as she looked at the beautiful hills and lakes that their vehicle passed by on the way to a large mansion in the middle of it all.
Irvine looked at the Garden leaf sculptures and stone statues neatly placed around the area. "This Garden reminds me of a painting...very much like one hanging around in Carnegie Hall's main hall. Isn't that..."
"Vividarium?" Seifer interrupted. "Yeah it is. I heard that the garden in that painting was patterned after this one. Looks gorgeous in oils, but I never knew it would look this beautiful in real life."
"Wow! I never imagined that I would actually see the real thing!" Irvine said as he gazed into the beautiful garden maze made from carefully trimmed bushes.
Quistis then turned their attention to a large house on the hill. "Look! It's Dr. Loire's mansion! Isn't it gorgeous?"
Rinoa was all the while enjoying the view of the garden. Never did anything look so peaceful—so tranquil. "It's beautiful..."
The ride to doctor Loire's house took them about five minutes. When they finally got there, a long-haired man with a slender, brunette girl greeted them.
"Hi!" he warmly said. "You must be Rinoa Heartilly! I'm Laguna Loire and I'd like to welcome you to my estate." He offered Rinoa his hand.
Rinoa walked towards Laguna and returned the gesture. "Pleased to meet you Dr. Loire."
"Oh, this is my daughter Ellone. She's a really big fan of yours," he told Rinoa.
Ellone shyly took the violinist's hand and said, "It is a pleasure to meet such a great musician like you, Miss Heartilly."
"Oh please, call me Rinoa," she said as she gave the other girl a warm smile before turning back to Laguna. "So Dr. Loire..."
"Please call me Laguna. I don't like the Doctor gig. I feel so old when people call me that," he said with a laugh.
"Okay...Laguna, um do you think you can inspect my Stradivarius? I mean, you are trained to check out cursed relics right?" she asked the professor.
"Well, I have had the opportunity to work with instruments like these before. But I don't think we'll be able to check out curses out here in the open eh?" he told them. "Why don't you come inside and I'll ask my butler to bring all your luggage in. Zell, please prepare my lab instruments."
"Yes sir!" he ecstatically said as he ran inside the house.
"That is one active boy," Laguna chuckled. "Alright, Sophia will show you to your rooms. I hope you enjoy your stay here."
Seifer looked around the mansion with his mouth wide open, "We sure will."
"Rinoa, if you will please follow me to my lab," he told her. As the others were led to their rooms, Rinoa followed Dr. Loire across a hallway filled with paintings made by great artists such as Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. Her eyes would follow the magnificent works of art and she stopped when she saw a portrait of Laguna, Ellone, and another young man.
"Dr. Loire, who is that?" she asked him, staring at the man in the painting. She immediately felt her heart pounding and secretly hoped that he wouldn't say that he was ...
"That is my son," he said as he stopped by a door. "His name is Squall but he isn't here right now. He works as one of the managers in the Teatro alla Scala in Milan but he comes back every night to the house. Why are you breathing like that? You like him don't you?" he smirked at the young violinist.
She blushed red, redder, and reddest and replied, "W-w-w-well, I don't know! But I guess I thought you might say that he was Ellone's husband. I don't know! Can't I breath like this? It's a free world!"
Laguna laughed and said, "Whatever. Follow me."
Rinoa nodded, still looking at the man and decided to follow Dr. Loire. She was amazed at her find in the next hallway. Rather than finding another gallery of paintings here, a bunch of violins so carefully placed in airtight display cases were displayed all over the halls. "Wow! This is...these are some of the legendary Stradivaris! And Amatis! And the others are Guarnieris! And here's a really antique French violin! Where did you get all these violins Sir Laguna?"
"You can say that I'm a collector of these things," he nonchalantly told her.
'I wonder where he got that money,' Rinoa wondered while drooling at the beautiful antique instruments.
After a long walk across a vast gallery of rare instruments, Rinoa finally entered a lab and set her violin down on the table. "Wow! This is amazing! You actually reproduce violins here?"
Laguna walked over to a table where a cloth lay on a violin that seemed to be brand new. "You can say that. I only make custom violins though, so these things won't come out on the market. Want to try it out?" He handed the violin to Rinoa and she began playing it. After she played a few notes, she inhaled deeply in satisfaction and said, "This is a wonderful violin! You can even mistake the sound for antique! So this is new?"
Laguna nodded and answered, "Well, since I have all these violins to compare with, I usually analyze the sound of each instrument with a special device so that I can reproduce the effect in a newer violin. I'll show you some of my 20th century reproductions here."
Laguna walked towards a door and opened it, finding Zell inside arranging some of the latest violins. Rinoa followed him and said, "Wow! This is your work? It's marvelous!"
Zell waved at her and said, "Hi Miss Heartilly! Glad you like Dr. Loire's violins. You should try them out. They sound like antiques!" He returned his attention to one of the violins he was carefully placing in the shelves.
Laguna took a violin from one of the shelves and gave it to Rinoa. "These violins are usually sold to music houses and young musical enthusiasts all over the world. Some young artists need great violins today and the only way you can achieve that without having to provide them with the horrendously pricey antiques is to replicate the models of the better, older ones. You want to try this out? This is one of my best."
Rinoa gladly took the violin and began playing octaves on it. "Mmmm...this sounds like heaven. If I should say Sir Laguna, this sounds superior to most Guarnieris and even better than a few Stradivaris," she complemented him.
Laguna laughed and put the violin back on the shelves. "The bad ones that is."
Rinoa laughed at his joke and asked, "So how much does one cost?"
Laguna blatantly said, "About a hundred grand, more or less."
Rinoa's mouth dropped and she stammered, "A h-h-hundred grand? Isn't that a bit too pricey for a new violin?"
Laguna replied, "Well if you think about it, a violin that sounds better than some Strads should cost much. I'd put it up at an even higher market price if only it were antique."
"Wow! A hundred grand. Well, you're the maker, so I guess you have the say on these instruments'prices. Anyhow, can we get back to my Strad?" Rinoa asked him.
He pushed back the stray bang over his ear and said, "Sure. Now if you will just tell me which one of the instruments this is."
Rinoa opened the case and said, "This is the Cremona 1715 Seduzione." She gave the violin to Laguna and he began looking at the instrument in a very scientific way.
"Interesting...very interesting. Ah, Rinoa, would it be alright if you left this here for the time being? I'm going to have to work on this alone." A look of shock displayed on Rinoa's face and Laguna chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't disassemble your Strad if that's what you're thinking."
Rinoa fanned herself with her hands and said, "Oh! I thought you were going to do that."
Laguna laughed and said, "Nonsense! I never do that to these priceless instruments. Oh, and if you need something to practice on, you can use one of the Strads in the gallery." He fished out a key from his pocket and accompanied Rinoa to the hallway of instruments.
"You're serious right?" Rinoa skeptically asked him. "These are your antiques."
Laguna replied, "I am a doctor. I'm supposed to be serious. So which one do you want?"
Rinoa was at a loss for words. Some of the most wonderful Strads were on display in this house, and she couldn't help but gaze at them longingly. They were so perfect—the instruments crafted by God's most talented artisans. The accuracy and precision taken into creating such wonders could only have been lent by the Lord's most keen ear, and it was no doubt that these were the pinnacle of the violinist's art—the perfection, the beauty, and the quality.
"Ah, will you choose one for me?" she asked him sheepishly.
"What kind of sound do you like?" Laguna asked her.
"Um, I like deep, rich, and resonant," she answered.
"Then I have just the thing for you," he said as he pushed a few buttons in a computer located in the middle of the hallway. On the other side of the gallery, a blue light was blinking constantly, signaling Rinoa and Laguna to go to that section of the room. Near the blinking blue light was a little circle with green light spiraling down to a red spot. When the green finally reached the red, a slot opened where a key ought to be inserted.
"You gotta keep this under lock and key. These are too valuable to be left out in the open," he said as he inserted a high-tech looking key into the slot. After it registered okay, the violin inside descended from the display case into another cubicle below the glass. "This is the Cremona 1718 "Oceano". People called it so because they say that it has one of the most wonderful resonating qualities ever, much like the ocean. And if you listen to it, it has one of the deepest, richest sounds you'll ever hear from a string instrument. And here's the bow that accompanies it," Laguna informed her as he gave her the precious violin with the bow.
Rinoa gave it a swing of the bow and she shuddered from the very first note. "This is magnificent. Thank you Sir Laguna!"
Laguna laughed and said, "Don't mention it. Now I have to work on your violin okay? So you just ask Sophia to bring you to your room."
Rinoa nodded and exited the hallway, finding a pudgy lady waiting for her. "Miss Rinoa, if you will please come with me to your room."
Sophia led her across the house until they reached a beautiful bedroom adorned with paintings, statuettes, and Italian glass mirrors of all sorts. "Is everything in this house beautiful?" she asked Sophia.
"Why yes madame, if you think so," she said as she shut the door behind her. "Enjoy your stay please and feel free to contact me."
Rinoa smiled and said, "Alright!" She set the violin carefully on the table and fell on the bed. "Wow! This house is spectacular." She rested for a few minutes and her thoughts began drifting back to the handsome man in the portrait. "That guy sure is cute. Wonder if he's already taken," she said to herself as she stared at the ceiling.
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Wah! Long chapter alert! I hope this chapter's still keeping you awake. If you do like it, will you please add a review? Thanks for those whom have given reviews by the way and please don't worry about Secrets in the Dark. I'm already writing the next chapter as we speak (or read). So, the next chapter will be Squall's first appearance in the story so cross your fingers! Chapter 5: Our Eyes Met.