~Watch Me ~
The Truck Driver
The hum of the motor was loud as the truck travelled the over the rough dirt track. They had cleared the cliffs, and suddenly the cement jungle had come into view, Shinra Inc looming ominously at it's epicentre. The rumble of the engine faded as the driver slowed, and he removed the used cigarette from his mouth, coughing as he chucked it causally out onto the new grassy terrain outside.
"Is that it?"
The truck driver looked briefly at the young woman beside him, her face enamoured by the towering city skyline. He grunted.
"Yeah, that's Midgar. Furthest place from nature you'll ever find. Nothin' but a glorified machine, if you ask me."
"Uh-huh." She breathed, clearly still distracted by the view.
He rolled his eyes, more than used to the lack of interest on her part. The truck driver had more than come to terms with the fact that he'd gotten far too old and too fat in his twilight years, to entice anything more than a sympathetic smile from the female species of late.
Still, he wasn't dead. He could still look. And if he was honest, the girl was more than a little easy on the eye. A tad unladylike perhaps, but hell he wasn't in a place to be picky.
From his peripheral vision he noted how her milky skin contrasted daringly with her raven tresses, and he found himself wondering for a moment, what it would be like to run his fingers through those soft onyx waves. He coughed, watching less carefully, as she swept a few rebellious strands from her eyes – green eyes – her loose plait falling casually over her shoulder, as she suddenly procured a small dishevelled rucksack from beneath bare legs.
"You lost somethin'?" He wondered distractedly, her arm delving roughly into the bag.
A small frown crinkled her brow.
"A leaflet." She said, still searching. Grinning, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and slammed it down on the dash. "You know how I can get to this bar?"
'
The truck driver blinked, recognising the faded colouring and logo. "'Shield & Sword?' That's one of Shinra's - only workers can go in - Troops and SOLDIER, mainly."
"But how do I get there?" She pressed, shoving the aged paper back into her sack. "I'm hoping to run into someone, and it'll be a lot easier if I don't spend half the night wondering the streets."
The truck driver snorted. "Ah, I get it. Boyfriend, is it? Worried they've been playing away?"
"My brother, actually." She replied, not looking at all offended. "And I wanted to surprise him."
"You get into that bar, and you'll certainly do that." He laughed, choking as he lit another cigarette.
"He a troop, your brother, then? One of the grunts?"
She shrugged lightly, strangely awkward. "Something like that."
The driver nodded. "Well, I wish you luck, missy. That bar's part of Sector 8, not the slums, mind. You get into the city, and the train will take your right there – make sure you stay above the plate though."
She frowned. "Plate?"
The truck driver laughed again. "Oh, you'll see."
He hit the breaks, and the truck screeched to a stop.
"Do I just follow the road up?" The girl asked, measuring up the path ahead as she opened up the side door.
"That's right." He affirmed, reaching behind her seat for her much larger travel bag. "Jeez." He winced, dropping it onto her vacated seat as she stepped down out of the truck. "What you got in there, boulders?"
Suddenly, he eyed it mistrustfully. "Nothing in there that's going to get you into any trouble, is there, miss? Nothing that those troops will..."
His words faded to silence as he spotted the name scrawled neatly across the bag's tag.
'Rose Hewley'
The truck driver looked at her, and that awkward expression was back on her face.
He gapped. "Hewley... brother a Shinra troop... no... SOLDIER?! Not Angeal Hewley?"
She sighed, pulling up the hood of her leather jacket as she retrieved the rest of her wears from the truck.
"For my sins." She mumbled, dropping her stuff loudly to the ground. She stretched her arms above her head with a groan. "Sorry, I forgot to ask, what was your name?"
The driver nodded. "Friends call me, Jim."
Rose smiled. "Well, Jim. Thanks for the ride. However a little advice? Next time you want to check a girl out, try and make it a little less creepy. My hand twitched for my knife so many times you have no idea, and I'm harder to freak out than most."
The driver gapped, a spluttering of nervous apologies immediately tumbling unbridled from his nicotine stained mouth, mortified that he had been caught. The girl merely laughed, balancing her bags about her person, as she knowingly offered him a playful wink.
"Later, Jim."
Jim stared as Rose Hewley began to make her way determinedly toward Midgar's city gates, her body unwavering despite the weight of what she carried, and privately, he prayed to whatever heavenly body that was listening, that none of his recent more questionable transgressions would be mentioned to her brother.
AN* Going to do a couple of chapters of this, see what people think. Just an idea I had going round in my head forever, so I hope you enjoy. If there's some hype I'll carry it on, if not, we shall see.
Night Chickens/Chocobos x