A/N: It's been about a year since I started this, was hoping to keep a regular update schedule or at least be out of Midgar by this time but I guess best laid plans often go wrong. I'm still going to keep at it for as long as I can but at this rate it'll be 2525 before I actually get to something regrettably. Still, it's been fun to go back to old ideas and do it well this time around even if I have a lot less free time to do it in.
The three travellers made their way through to an old playground in a gloomy silence, every so often Zidane would turn to face Dagger with his mouth open ready to talk only to see her forlorn expression killing any bravado the blonde had before continuing on the cracked tarmac path. Not even the sight of a slide in the shape of a big bear looking thing was helping to cheer her up "Well, Sector Seven is just through here," Aerith nervously chimed, clambering up onto the plastic domes for a better view of the black and yellow bordered opening in the steel wall. "Maybe we can find something useful!" She suggested, pointing into the gloom.
What few lights there were beyond the threshold didn't suggest anything useful. Just more hastily built shacks and old houses that had lasted the years of abuse under the plate, nothing more than was in Sector Five, perhaps less without the church and miniature garden. "You sure about people climbing through that dump to get here?" Zidane asked as he scratched the back of his head "I mean its a little different to the others but uh... not really seeing the appeal for taking the long way."
"I'm sure!" Aerith snapped back, fists held at her side for a brief moment before raising a hand to a chin looking deep in thought "There was... there was a guy, I think he was related to one of the people at the market square and I saw him heading through here. I asked him what he was doing and he seemed really shocked that I was talking to him and then he said it was really important but it was very dangerous and not to tell his wife because she'd be mad he did something really dangerous and didn't want her to worry."
"And he didn't actually say what he was doing?" Zidane questioned.
"Oh! ...no." Aerith conceded.
"It's fine, there could still be something here that wasn't back in sector 5," the blond waved off, trying to move forward and on before something caught his eye off to the side "This guy, was he trying to look sneaky? Hunched over with a hood covering his face?" he asked.
"Um... I think?"
"Like that guy over there?" he asked, pointing to a crouched over figure staying close to the dividing wall.
"Yeah! Like that!" Aerith agreed, "Oh wait, he was wearing a different outfit I think, and he didn't have a backpack on either," she said turning back to the space Zidane had been standing in a few moments ago "Zidane?"
It is one of the rules of nature that unless practised regularly, attempting to sneak always results in the sneaker becoming more more obvious to casual onlookers than if he was just walking normally. As such it shouldn't have been as startling as it was for the man to be suddenly asked "What'cha up to?" by a young man who wasn't there a second ago.
"Ahh!" he jumped, throwing himself back first against the sector wall "Nothing! Nothing at all!" he declared like an amateur thief freshly caught, although to his credit he did settle down a little when he realised he was taller than the man asking questions.
"So there's nothing that way?" Zidane inquired, pointing in the general direction the man had come from, taking in the well-beaten path, whatever was that way was getting a lot more footfall than the routes between the sectors on their own.
"Yup! Nothing at all," the stranger agreed "I was just trying to avoid some of the monsters between here and home." he made up on the spot.
"Yeah, we ran into some nasty ones in sector six," Zidane said with a knowing smile "Good idea to hide out there, maybe make some money off the scrap?" he suggested.
"Make money?" the man balked "It's the fastest way to lose gil under the plate over there," He let out before realizing just what he was saying and slapping his hand over his mouth. "I should go." he mumbled out before sprinting away, backpack jingling all the way into the gloom of sector seven.
"And I'm back," Zidane declared, casually resting against the swing set as he made it back to the two young ladies "Okay, I think I found what was so important for that shop-keeper's husband. Follow me!" He said, thumbing towards the path off around the wall for the visibly confused Aerith.
The faint sound of music as they followed the dirt track around told the genome that his assumption was right, and the lights in the distance had a distinctly red hue to them. Something important that someone didn't want their wife worrying about? People skulking away trying not to be seen despite there being very few people to not be seen by? Zidane had lived long enough in Lindblum to recognize the signs of an area of negotiable affection. Although maybe it wasn't the best idea to bring Dagger to one of them. Or Aerith. But especially not Dagger "So uh, this is probably going to be uh... an adult only area." He said, trying to ease the two young women into the subject.
"Zidane," Dagger sighed, still looking somewhat despondent "There is a brothel tax in Alexandria, I know what one is." She said, much to Zidane's shock.
"Great! Uh, let's get going then, there's more than one light there so there's probably bigger markets than back near Mrs Gainsborough's house." The genome announced, still off balanced by the notion that the high queen knew what he was on about.
"Brothel?" Aerith asked, her head tilting to the side "What's a brothel?"
"Ask your- actually don't ask your mother. I'll tell you later. Much later."
Hidden up against the sector wall wasn't just a brothel however, but a whole mass of tented shops selling anything and everything: potions, foreign foods, weapons and armour, powerful magic and items guarenteed to have not fallen off the back of a chocobo, no sir. "Wow~!" Aerith let out, already wondering off to a nearby pharmacy "There's even more stores here than on the surface! We've got to find something good here!" she called to the pair.
"Stick together Aerith! If you're not careful you'll get pick-pocketed!" Zidane called back, turning back to Dagger and throwing an arm over her shoulder "Come on Dagger, we can find something here to cheer you up, I'm sure."
"Possibly..." Dagger breathed, walking with her king towards the first place, an outfit boutique with little joy.
"Welcome darlings! Why aren't those some exotic designs, I haven't seen a vest like that in teal before." the tailor & dress-maker, a very large and muscular man, called out as the shop bell rang, beckoning the three shoppers in "And what can I help with you today? Two ladies and a young gentlemen? A wedding dress perhaps? I have none on the rails today unfortunately but I'm sure with your measurements and my expertise we can make you look beautiful on your most important day-"
"Whoa! Sorry to cut you off there buddy, but we got married a while back. Twice." Zidane said, trying to interrupt the expensive sales spiel.
"And I don't even have a boyfriend." Aerith chimed in.
"Ah, such a shame. Well I hope the dress-maker did his or her best but you should have sought me out first! Oh the styles..."
"We need something a little more every-day," Zidane interjected, the expression of the tailor dropping. "Something that won't attract attention up in the big tower."
"Ah... would this be for a new... job?" the seller said carefully, eyes suddenly twitching towards a grey piece of glass hanging from the rafters.
"You could say that."
"Good, good. Now if you turn to your right, on the third rail there there's quite a nice variety of suits for yourself, the changing room is over there..."
"Thanks, got it." Zidane said, quickly snatching a few hangers off the rails, even one from outside the area that the man had suggested and dashing into the changing room.
"As for you ladies, if you could perhaps explain a little more what you require, something to show off the figure perhaps," the shop-keeper suggested while the sounds of zips and something that sounded a lot like squeaking was heard in the background.
"Um well..." Aerith mumbled, taking a strategic step back.
"Oh no need to worry, perhaps something more subdued is in order for yourselves. It is wrong for me to make assumptions about these things but in my humble life here I have had quite a few come to me for help with a job in the tower, although something I cannot recommend by any means, and while the men try to keep the head down the women on the other hand-" He rambled before the curtain to the changing room slid aside once again. "Sir... if you were trying to avoid attention, I think you have the wrong outfit."
Zidane was now dressed head to toe in black material that hugged his toned body tightly, his hips cocked to the side as his blonde tail swished through the air freely behind him while atop his head was a black domino mask that did nothing to conceal identity and a pair of black cat ears. The cheeky grin topping it all off. "What do you think Dagger?" He purred, slinking up to the Queen of Alexandria as she furiously blushed while Aerith tried to look as intensely as possible at the selection of pre-made dresses and not at the costumed blond.
"Z-Zidane! That is... that is the most ridiculous outfit!" Dagger declared, her mouth twitching at the red cheeks "Where did you? How did you?"
"There's a bunch of them over there," Zidane explained, pointing to the rails next to the changing room "So what do'ya think? The kitty cat burglar look suit me or not? I see a smile~" he sang, seeing the Queen's expression soften into a chuckle.
"Hmm... Didn't that outfit have a black tail attached?" The shop-keeper asked.
"I ditched it for a blonde fluffy one, it matches my hair," Zidane brushed off before turning back to Dagger "You know, if you're interested, there's a ladies one made in this shiny red stuff and I think you'd look really-"
"I think we need to conserve our finances right now." Dagger cut him off, thrusting him back into the changing rooms and pulling the curtain behind them. The shopkeeper nodding his head sagely and moving to turn up the volume of his music player.
"So you're happy with that outfit Aerith?" Dagger asked, brushing her hair back with her hands while Zidane was loaded down with the recent shopping.
"Yup, that guy was really good at finding fancy things, but I just didn't think they worked for me. You two took a long time though, was it hard finding things that fit?"
"Well-" Zidane began before Dagger quickly interrupted.
"Yes. Yes it was. Now let's get ourselves fully equipped shall we? There's likely a blacksmith somewhere where we could purchase some new weapons." The queen suggested, pulling Aerith along by the arm just forcefully enough to get the point of the conversation across. Enough to stumble straight into the Shinra infantryman who had just come out from around the corner.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" Aerith apologized while Zidane stepped behind a sign, remembering the last encounter.
"Watch where your going! Official Shinra business coming through." The man shouted standing up straight before buckling slightly, a fat man in a green suit and glasses that concealed the few bits of face that weren't dominated by a bushy black beard had smacked him in the back.
"Quiet ya idiot, I thought those idiots you call officers told you to not shout it out down here." The fat man grumbled.
"S-sorry sir," the grunt replied in a much meeker voice than he'd used on Aerith.
"Damn right you're sorry. Now get me back to my office before I catch anything else down here. Damn Don lowering his standards... doesn't he know who pays him?" the man muttered as he waddled off, scratching an uncomfortable area.
"Who was that?" Asked Dagger after he was safely out of earshot.
"I dunno. Must have been someone important." Aerith shrugged.
"Good thing he dropped this then," Zidane said, dropping one of the bags to pick up a folded piece of paper and unfolded it. "Well that's one problem down, we've got our way in to the tower." He declared victoriously, showing the paper to both Aerith and Dagger.
"Shinra Electric Company proudly presents an exhibit of treasures from Ancient times collected by good friend of the company Sir Dio? Open to the public with a suggested donation as well! Zidane that's perfect!"
"Hey don't thank me, thank whoever this Dio guy is. And whoever the fat guy was who dropped the flyer." Zidane dismissed, but it was perfect, almost too perfect. A way into Shinra tower without scrutiny, and a starting off point for their research. It might not be much and was still a risk, but it was the best chance the three had, in two days time.
Soundtrack notes:
Sector 6: Under the rotting pizza -FFVII OST
Not suspicious at all!: What? -FFV OST
Wall Market: Oppressed People -FFVII OST