Chapter 16
Note: I'm sorry if the chapters are short, but I'm trying to write more in one day, so ...I don't have time to think of a lot to write. Sorry anyway.
(Harper's view)
We stayed in the Canyon itself for a few more days, but when the monsters got really scarce, we left and went back to the city above. Kadaj's order came in early. What it was that he got me was a bike like each of the guys had. It was cool, but I didn't mind riding with someone. Who knows, maybe I was in the way. A day or two before we left, I put in an order for a duplicate to be made of Silence. I also turned in Silence to have its name inscribed on the barrel end. The same would be done with the other when I got it and when I named it. I spent most of my days sitting around the Cosmo Candle. And what the others did, who knows. We left each other alone mostly.
(Vincent's view)
Costa del Sol: a place that is hardly ever cold, and always full of sand. One of the people that recognized me from a previous trip asked me why I didn't change into shorts instead of wearing my usual long pants, and long-sleeved shirt. I only looked at him trying to tell him that I hate shorts, and he walked away unanswered.
My first day there, I asked the people on the beach if they had seen Harper. I described her as best I could, and with little result. All I found out from the beach lovers was that she had been there, but that was a while ago. Almost two weeks, some said. I concluded that they must have only spent one or two days here, if even that.
The best thing, though, was the indoor shooting range. I went there on my second day in Costa del Sol, and shot a few rounds of Cerberus. Then I went to the inn to ask people there what they knew. They knew nothing more than the beach bums. Frustrated, I rented a room and stayed there.
The next day, I went back to shooting range. I had just begun my first round when the man, who turned out to work there, leaned over across the median to tell me something. "You shoot good!" he complemented.
"Thank you," I said, taking aim again.
But I was stopped by what the man said next. "Even shoot better than that girl that was here last week, or was it the week before that?" he questioned himself.
I lowered Cerberus and looked to him. "What did you say?"
"Ah, there were these people that came in a week or two ago. They could really shoot somethin' fierce," he took aim again.
I put a hand on his arm to stop him before the conversation was gone, "Do you know what they looked like?" I asked him.
"There were four of 'em: girl, and three men. Hope she takes care of 'erself if ya know what I mean."
He didn't answer all the way, so I said, "I know what you mean. Could you please tell me what the girl looked like?"
"You know her?" he asked. He was a respectable person, guarding people he didn't even know.
"I hope so, I'm looking for someone and she came here a while ago. Please just describe her?" I prodded, forcing my voice into a sincere one.
"Well, I don't know..." he looked at me expectantly.
I knew what he wanted and drew out my wallet, then handed him a few hundred gil thinking 'Not that admirable, really.'
"Shorter than you by a lot, 5'3" I'd say. Long white hair, which's odd: she looked to be only 25 or so. Blue eyes," he said.
My mouth dropped a little bit. Sadly I didn't have my cape buckled all the way. "Thank you," I said regaining my composure, "Do you know where the four went?" I prodded. 'No more money, please...' I pleaded silently. I was already short on gil.
He seemed to know my plight and answered straight up, "I overheard them saying they were going to Cosmo Canyon. If you hurry you might catch up with them," he said. Then he reversed my early thought about his honorability by saying, "If I find out something that involves your messing with her..."
'Why do you care so much anyway?' I thought, but I said otherwise, "Thank you sir." I turned to leave, then remembered I hadn't finished the round I 'd bought. "Oh, here. I didn't finish this," I said as I unloaded the round and started to hand it to the man.
But he turned my hand away, "Keep 'em. You paid for 'em, and you never know what you might need 'em for, ya know?"
"Y—yeah," I said. Then I turned back around and left, heading straight for the Highwind.
Outside the city I looked up.
Clear skys.
Note: Again, I'm really sorry about the shortness of the current chapters. R & R please! (hey, that's just like m&m huh?)