Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VI, its character, or lore.

Mind of an Engineer

Smoke mixed with steam as it poured from the churning machines and funneled out pipes and vents in the walls. Metallic surfaces gleamed in the light of electric lamps, more from the oil and grease smeared over their surfaces then anything else. A constant clatter and grind of assorted gears and mechanics drowned out any words spoken from more then a few feet apart as the small group made their way through the noise. It was some comfort that no one would over hear them, there in a place they weren't supposed to be.

Among all this, Edgar didn't know what to do with himself. He knew he was deep in the heart of enemy territory. He knew something of the atrocities committed there in the facility. He knew all of that, but he couldn't help himself. The Magitek Research Facility was a veritable wonderland of engineering.

He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead, wiping at the sweat before it dripped into his eyes. Whatever else it was, the place was steaming. He knew heat better then most, but it didn't stop him from feeling its effects.

Something new caught his eye, something he didn't recognize. He moved toward it with light steps and a wary eye. It called to him, demanded he examine it, figure out its purpose, and find how it worked. His touch tentative, he ran a finger along its surface. Heat radiated from the metal into his hand even as grime spread to his fingertips.

"Edgar, if you stop to poke at one more thing, I swear, king or not, I'll leave you here."

He snatched his hand back at the voice. It cut through the him like a frozen wind, and he turned to see a glare in her ice blue eyes. He gave the blond a sheepish grin. "My lovely general, you wound me. How can I ignore all of the amazing things around me?" His gaze roamed as he spoke, his words meant for the machines as much as her - until a hand twisted in his collar and yanked. He found himself face to face, his eyes matched with hers. A shiver ran through him at what he saw there.

"These are machines of war, torture, and death," Celes snapped, making him flinch with each word she bit off. "How can you act so flighty about them?"

With what he hoped was a calming smile, he laid his own hand over the one she had wrapped in his shirt. "You must understand me, beautiful lady-"

She shook him, rattling his teeth. "Stop talking like that."

His smile drooped and he sighed. People had no appreciation for the dramatic. "Machines aren't guilty of anything, Celes. Only the people that use them are."

With a shove, Celes thrust him back and turned away. Her pale blond hair fluttered in the gusts from numerous fans around the facility, even as his own stuck to the sweat beading down his neck. "Of course they can't be guilty, they're just hunks of metal, but all they're capable of is destruction. How can they have any other value?"

He watched her then, her back ramrod straight and her fists clenched. She stood in the exact center of the hall, as far from any of the equipment as she could get. Her gaze never focused in on any one thing, always staring through the walls as if they weren't there. He could imagine her past life, spent among things that she despised, never comfortable, never calm.

Never able to see the dreams in the world around her.

When he settled a hand on her shoulder, she jumped. Her glare snapped on him, cold as ice, even as he reached down to take her hand in his own. It was like reaching from a furnace into an icebox as their skin met, but he covered his surprise with his traditional, suave smile. She wouldn't even let the simple heat from the machines touch her.

"Trust me?" His tone carried both a question and a plea. She responded with a frown, yet her feet slid forward even as her heels dug in, her resistance more show then substance. The former General could overpower him with ease, yet she let herself be pulled along.

Edgar spotted a bit of machinery to suit his purpose and moved her toward it, leaving their companions watching with interest, or more likely amusement. He kept his focus on the task though. He didn't want to break the tentative cooperation of hers. It wasn't like he could deny his own bit of amusement with the situation either. With so many things, Celes was a pillar of strength. She was a talented leader, a ferocious warrior, and a jaded soldier, one who'd seen too much in her young life. On occasion though, she showed a soft, innocent side to rival that of Terra's. She was like a kitten thrust into a giant, unfamiliar world.

He didn't dare share that sentiment, however. Even as a kitten, Celes had claws and never hesitated to use them.

Edgar pointed her to the bit of machinery. "Do you know what this is?"

Celes held her scowl, only sparing a glance at the object in question. "It's a gear shaft. They're in all the Empire's war machines. They make all the death the Empire deals possible."

He smiled. Her recognizing the piece made things easier. "More accurately, it's a hybrid hydrolic-gear mechanism. It's also very similar to the pieces I use in Figaro castle for its movement. Narshe uses it as well in the steam vents that keep their people warm and allow them to live in the frigid temperatures up there."

He released her hand and bent down for a closer view. The constant motion of the machine entranced him with its apparent simplicity and hidden depth. He almost forgot he was supposed to be speaking. "You were raised around machinery, but you only see it for what the Empire's done with it. Where you see a tool of war, I see something that could give legs to someone that can't walk. Or a machine that could carry people across the land as swiftly as a Chocobo, and with no fear of monsters. Or a tool that could spare my people the blistering heat of the desert, much how the steam saves Narshe from the cold." He peeked over his shoulder at her and flashed a mocking grin. "I haven't quite worked that last one out yet, much as I've tried.

She stared at him, though she no longer scowled.

"I think the heat's gone to your head, Brother." Edgar didn't miss the humor in Sabin's tone. "Being King not enough for you? Need to be a saint too?"

"Are you kidding?" This time Locke cut in before Edgar could retort. "Edgar's not Edgar if he's not playing with some machine or other. Any good the things do is just a side effect, trust me."

Edgar rounded on them with a scowl. They were ruining his image in front of the lady! "Now that's not fair. I fully intend for my inventions to do precisely the good that they do."

Locke smirked. "Like freezing your Chancellor? Yeah, I heard all about that."

"That," Edgar said with a wince, "was a minor complication."

"Matron told me about when you gave her that flower," Sabin added. "You made something or other to keep it alive in the desert, right?"

Edgar took a deep breath. This conversation was not going the direction he intended. "Now really, I fixed that later."

"Yeah, after the flower burst into flames!" Sabin and Locke were doubled over laughing by that point. Edgar could only stand there, arms crossed as he frowned at them.

Locke slapped Sabin on the arm. "Oh, did you ever hear about that moving chair he made?" As Sabin shook his head, Edgar groaned. "When he turned it on it took off like a Chocobo in heat! We'd never have caught it if it hadn't run headlong into a wall."

As the pair broke into another round of laughter, Edgar felt his face flush despite himself. He stared around at the machines. At least they weren't laughing at him. "Those were all perfectly well intentioned." Between the surrounding noise of the factory and the hyena's that were his brother and best friend, he expected his words to go unheard.

To his surprise, he got a response. "I don't doubt that." Celes' voice was soft, audible only to him. He looked to her, curious to see if he was hearing things. What he saw stopped his words – Celes, the queen of hidden and buried emotions, was smiling at him. It wasn't much, only a small quirk of her lips, but it was there. She tilted her head as their eyes met, observing him. "You're the king of good intentions, and I don't understand you." She turned away with her words, leaving him staring after her. "But I'll think about what you said."

It wasn't a chance he could let pass by, and his suave smile returned in full. "Knowing I'll be on the mind of a beautiful lady is among the best things I could hope for."

With a backwards flick of her wrist, an ice spell slammed into the floor between his feet. He jumped back out of sheer reflex only to fall onto his backside on the now slick frozen metal.

"Don't push your luck," she called back as she left him sitting there. Sabin and Locke missed the whole exchange but caught the part that left Edgar on the floor. They laughed all the harder - until Celes walked by and smacked them upside their heads, scolding them for their behavior.

Edgar could only shake his head as he, with great care, levered himself up from the cold metal floor. He was relieved that he seemed to have gotten through to her, on some level at least, as he hated seeing any prejudice against machines. Either way, he came out of the exchange with a smile. He'd meant what he said.

Life simply wasn't worthwhile without the attention of a beautiful lady.

A/N: I find myself writing about Edgar a lot, but I do think he's an interesting character. He has a ton of personality.

I've been thinking of sections of the World of Ruin to cover, but there's not as much there really. You collect everyone back into the team, and then you go after Kefka. Done. It felt long in the game because of leveling and getting rare items, but as for story?

Well, maybe I'll have to make something up ;). Hope you enjoyed the read!