"Is it time yet?" Marlene danced from one foot to the other.
Tifa made a point of looking to the clock; Marlene was more than capable of telling the time, but it seemed her earlier complaint of the time going too slowly had convinced her to not look at it at all. "Soon." Any time now; more subjective and contingent on Cloud and Barret returning. Marlene huffed and returned to her drawing, a swirl of black and green and brown and a different shade of green. Anticipating later it seemed.
The lights were down low in Eighth Heaven, the bar closed since lunch-time. Like most other businesses. No one particularly wanted to work on this day. Other bars did stay open regardless, profiting on the celebratory atmosphere and the desire to get warm after. Not so Tifa and her family; today – and especially tonight – was more intimate more, close. A shame their mutual friends could not make it this evening, but they would be observing the date the same or in their own way regardless.
The rattle of a key in the door and Marlene charged from her table. "They're here!" Cloud blinked at the young girl. "Can we go?"
"Give them a second Marlene!"
Cloud grinned and deposited bags from the local shop on the counter. "Still got some time left." Barret kicked the door closed with his foot.
"But we'll be at the back."
Barret let out a sigh. "The lanterns ready?"
"Yes! We finished them this afternoon. I'll go get them!" Marlene raced past the bar and into the backroom.
"Mar-" Barret broke off. "Can't blame her; tonight's special to her."
"Can you blame her?" Tifa finished wiping a glass and stacked it with the others; he shook his head.
Marlene hurried back into the room clutching a green, paper lantern. "This is Papa's!"
"Thank you. Just going to put it here-" Barret rested the lantern on the nearest table; Marlene rushed back to bring out Tifa, Cloud's and her own lantern. Her last trip was in her coat, scarf and hat, clutching four hooked poles.
"We've only got a few minutes!"
Barret peered through into the backroom. "Everything ready?"
"Yep." Tifa grinned. "Dinner'll finish up by the time we get back."
"Gonna need it." Cloud let out an exaggerated shiver he assuredly did not feel. "Cold out there."
At Marlene's insistence Tifa fetched her own coat, scarf, hat and gloves and was swiftly herded out the front door. The four of them joined the stream of other people leaving their houses to join the congregation assembling in the main square. "See? Not last." Barret patted his daughter's shoulder. Her lantern already swayed – unlit – on the end of a pole while she walked. A scattered few others had already set the candle inside alight. A few drifting spots of light indicated a further few had let theirs off ahead of schedule.
Despite Marlene's hurrying, there was still a delay before everything began. More people crowding into the square, more and more lanterns hefted aloft on poles, the candles lit. Helpers hurried back and forth, the night drawing in ever closer. Barret murmured at an appropriate moment; he, Cloud and Tifa lit their lanterns and held them up.
The procession started; the crowd funnelled down into a river of people setting off into the wilderness beside Kalm. The stars grew brighter, the air colder. "There's the Healin procession!" Marlene pointed to the distant hills, a river of green light making it's way down from the settlement. The stream they walked with turned and shifted along a proscribed route, taking a long and more serpentine route than would make sense. But however much the crowd ahead of them meandered, step by step they drew closer to Midgar.
More streams of glowing green in the darkness. From the temporary port past Midgar. From what might have been one of the trade caravans on its way back from Junon. That city would have it's own procession heading out to come near, but not join, the procession from Fort Condor – much as the Kalm procession would not meet Healin. Or Gongaga would not meet Cosmo Canyon's; North Corel keeping separate from Costa del Sol's.
They did not walk the full route – it would take hours and the procession contained children younger than Marlene holding their own lanterns. Some barely old enough to remember the context of the procession and the meaning. Some in their parent's arms assuredly only here because of the context. All the groups halted at a few minutes to nine in the evening, lanterns retrieved from the end of poles, and once more a few escaped into the night sky early.
Between them, the procession from Kalm counted down the final seconds. As one they let go of their lanterns.
The green streams flowing out from the settlements now rose into the air. By chance the breeze blew in the right direction; the lanterns drifted up and towards the dead city of Midgar. Similar celebrations the world over, lanterns rising up.
Tifa took Cloud's hand; he squeezed back. In celebration, in memory, in triumph, the people of the Planet celebrated the destruction of Meteor.