ACT I: END OF THE WORLD
Chapter Two
Ceres spent the next hour greeting whatever celebrities joined them in the game box. Many were friends of Dravon's and treated her like an old friend. Cheeks were kissed and hands were delicately caressed as if precious cargo.
They all wore the same, identical fake smile. The easy-to-detect kind. The kind that disappears the second you step away from the person you're greeting. As fake as they were, Ceres wish she could say she had a lot of friends. She had followers. Users who wanted to use her for their personal fame.
Before her courtship with Dravon, she had plenty of friends. Real, genuine ones just making their own marks on the world. But the responsibilities of an heiress became too much and she let them go to appease her uncle. Protecting Jotum Industries is priority number one, after all.
Occasionally, she thinks about reaching out to them but she knows she flaked out on them. She wouldn't be her friend either.
Well, now these were her friends. Sigh.
Cheeks becoming tender, Ceres tapped her fiancé on the shoulder.
"It's kind of hot up here. I'm going to get fresh air."
He seemed to think about it for awhile, wondering what I could possibly want fresh air from. "I have you tonight—"
"I'm not gonna make a run for it, idiot," she hissed, slapping his shoulder.
"Well…take Otis with you," he gestured to one of their bodyguards, silent as ever.
"Dravon," she pleaded.
"It's Otis or nothing."
Glaring hard, she held her wine glass and stood up. "If I could spill this on you, I would."
Her fiancé only chuckled and crossed his legs. "Babe, I'd love to see you try. Don't make me change my mind."
Rolling her eyes, she pointed to Otis and let him follow her. They climbed down the steps then across a banister, the glass looking up to the stadium. With one arm crossed over the other, she steadily sipped from her wine and sighed. Without turning around, she spoke.
"Otis, I'm sorry if I seem like a brat right now. You are lovely company but…"
"You wanted some alone time, ma'am."
"…Yes. Some time to clear my head. I just—I hate how he treats me like a child in front of all these people."
"I understand how that can be frustrating."
She took a long sip.
"I mean—I am a grown fucking woman with two advanced degrees in engineering and linguistics. Do you think I need a man telling me what to do?" She still carried the tone of a woman having a simple conversation despite bad talking her fiance to his subordinate.
"Probably not, ma'am—"
"Probably the fuck not, Otis—I mean…probably not." She sighed. "Yet, here we both are."
She took another sip, attempting to stretch her neck and relieve some tension from that accursed choker. The engagement ring on her finger just kept looking at her.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked it, muttering to herself like a lunatic. Great, now she's talking to jewelry.
"Ceres?"
Surprised, she whipped around to meet the voice. She nearly dropped her glass.
"Tidus? Tidus!" With her glass, she quickly rubbed her ring finger as if telling it to calm down before stepping forward. "Oh my goodness!"
Shooting a brief look to Otis—who stayed back—Ceres reached her arms around the athlete in a somewhat passionate hug. Tidus' own hands came around her back and he squeezed, lifting her into the air. She squealed in surprise and he let her down quickly. "You should be warming up right now."
"I saw you staring all broody from the stands." Her smile slowly dropped. "Wanted to come and say hi while I had the chance."
"Well that's awfully sweet of you," she commented, touching her hair for no apparent reason. "What's it been? Five years?"
"Yeah, something like that." He rubbed the back of his head, vibrato suddenly gone just like hers. The two just stood there avoiding direct eye contact for who knows how long. Despite the strange tension, Ceres appreciated his mindfulness of her. Considering this is one of the friends she had been crap to.
Ceres' eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh yeah, so blitz ball! You were always good at it and now you're super famous," she nodded in that awkward way people do. She fiddled with her wine glass.
"Gotta honor the old man somehow, I guess," he said with less energy.
Ceres went to put a hand on his shoulder then changed her mind. "I miss him too, you know…" Her head turned down slightly. "He would be proud of the life you made for yourself."
She couldn't say the same for herself.
Tidus waved his hand in the air, shrugging in dismissal. "Not like he'd really care." Then he brightened up. "But, hey~ I heard you're getting married tomorrow. Congrats!" he exclaimed with a wide toothed smile and corny thumbs up.
She didn't know why but she didn't want Tidus to see how she truly felt about it. She perked up very quickly and examined the ring. "Thanks! It just seems like the next step, you know?" The words felt like mush coming out of her mouth.
"As long as you're happy, I guess I'm happy…"
Ceres watched him scratch his head. Unsure of how to reply, she just smiled. He was always kind of dopey.
Just then a warning sounded.
"Oh, yeah, the match! I-I gotta go!"
He started to run off, but came back to pull her into a hug again. He pulled away and pretended to ruffle her hair. "Ceres, it was really great seeing you again."
"And you, Tidus. Give us a show."
"Always," he pumped a fist.
And he was gone.
Ceres began to make her way back up the stairs with Otis in tow, still thinking about the encounter. Since running into Tidus, she wore a smile on her face. And some weight was visibly off her shoulders. Seeing him again brought fresh memories of fun and simpler times.
When Jecht was still here, her uncle's company had been sponsoring him so he'd bring Tidus over while they talked business. And when Jecht was gone, her uncle made her to keep the boy around—for Ceres' sake. A lonely child, Ceres did all her first kid stuff with him. First bike ride, first sleepover, first lost tooth, first friend. First kiss, even. No person had ever made her laugh like Tidus did.
Then she went and let rich people get in her head about surrounding yourself with the 'right people'. It almost hurt thinking of all the years and time lost in their separation.
Wait—did Tidus know who she was to marry? That prick? Dear God, she hoped not! Dravon's company managed the Zanarkand Abes, but he didn't make house calls…right?
"There you are, babe. I was getting worried—" Dravon charmingly leaned for a kiss and Ceres pretended to be surprised. His lips landed on her forehead instead. "What took you so long?"
"Otis can tell you," she replied, sardonically. "Don't worry, I was on my best behavior."
She crossed her arms again and they spent the next ten minutes in silence. Dravon greeted whomever went by, but Ceres remained inside her own little bubble. The stadium began to grow restless and she knew the match would start.
Then like all the other times, the stadium lights darkened around her to focus on the glowing ball in the center. The roar of an electric guitar reverberated off the stands and the crowd went wild. The orb began to rotate as a figure climbed its way up to the platform.
Suddenly, the little boy's voice from earlier rang in her head.
It's too bad none of them will be alive to remember this.
She shook her head, an attempt to ignore the voice. She instead focused on the full, blonde head of Tidus. He was emerging from a ladder. A blitz ball somehow ended up in his arms.
But I bet that's a good thing, in your case…
The glowing ball vibrated then pulsed. The gathered energy exploded then grew into the massive ball of liquid they expected for blitz. The crowd whooped in excitement.
I wonder if you whine, too…
The more anticipation that build, the more queasy Ceres felt in her stomach. A strange tightening developing from seemingly nowhere.
Just as Tidus began to dive into the pit, Ceres couldn't do it. She swiftly stood from her seat, holding her stomach as if that would keep it at bay.
"I don't feel well."
"What'd you mean?" Dravon asked, hardly paying her mind. His eyes were glued to the arena, where other players began diving in. "The game is starting."
"Yes, but—"
It's too bad…
"D—I…I think I need to go. I—"
…none of them will be alive to remember this.
"Ceres, just sit d—"
A flash of light exploded behind her eyes before her body was carried in the air.
