Edgar, as it turned out, wasn't waiting to make a speech. Instead he took me by the arm, pulled me away from the others, and began rattling off the details of some sort of house while trying to show me something he'd sketched on an envelope.
"A room for you, one for the young couple, a nursery and a bedroom or two for the older children. I believe we can get you running water and I've even been considering a plan that would heat the water before it comes out of the tap – would you be willing to try that?" At that I nodded vehemently. "The architects will be at your disposal, so if there's anything you'd like to change—"
"How much is this going to cost?" I asked, dazed. He handed me the envelope, which bore a tiny but precise floor plan.
"For you, my dear, it's free."
I stared at him. He used that opportunity to grab my free hand and kiss it. He really would be charming if he weren't so maddening. "Edgar, I can't accept this," I said.
"Why not?"
"Because it's too much! I can't very well build you a house for your next birthday."
"You aren't required to pay me back," he said, but I kept frowning at him until he sighed. "A loan? Would you be more willing to accept that?"
"Yes, I would. Thank you, Edgar." That hadn't been very gracious. I'd have to try again before I disembarked.
"I really don't see the point of being rich if I can't do things for people," he complained. "It's not as though I'm using my annuity to buy expensive ballgowns." He pouted for a moment, then brightened. "I refuse to charge you interest," he said, grinning like he'd scored a point off me.
"Okay," I said agreeably, and watched his smile fade slightly. I hadn't even considered that he might, so it mattered not at all to me. I smiled sweetly at him, and was turning to go when he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.
"One more thing," he said, seriously enough to turn me around to face him again. "Are you all right? Regarding Locke?"
"Of course I am!" I snapped, my face flaming. I crossed my arms over my chest, ducked my head so that I could hide behind my hair – one benefit to wearing it loose.
"I can see that," he answered dryly. "Terra, yes, I advised him to tread cautiously. I'm sorry I upset you. He never really faced Rachel's death, and the Phoenix just stirred up memories he hadn't laid to rest. You have to give him time." He glanced up at the others, and I followed his gaze. Locke was talking to Celes. "So does she," he added, under his breath.
"He kissed me, you know. I didn't just jump on him." I thought back, trying to remember if I'd been flirting outrageously or anything. I didn't think so.
"I know that, Terra, and I wasn't trying to imply that he doesn't care about you. I just wanted to suggest..." he trailed off, looking up again. Locke was heading towards us.
"What'd you do to her?" he called out as he neared, half-jokingly. Celes trailed behind him, but stopped at Setzer's side, exchanging looks with him.
"I just offered to build her a house!" Edgar said, defensive.
"Well, obviously that went over well," Locke replied. I tried to paste a smile on my face to reassure him.
"I did accept it after a while," I said, then added, as fervently as I could, "Edgar, thank you." I wanted to apologize for getting angry, but evidently he wanted me to pretend as though nothing was wrong. I suppose we couldn't very well explain to Locke that we'd been fighting over him.
"You're most welcome," he said, and kissed my hand again.
Locke still looked doubtful, but all he said was, "We're nearly to Mobliz. You all packed? Said your goodbyes?"
"Well, I'm packed," I said, and moved off in the general direction of the others. When I looked over my shoulder, I noticed the two of them discussing something quietly. I snapped out of it when Celes called my name.
"Hey," I greeted her. "Sorry, I was just off in my own little world."
She smiled slightly. "I know what you mean. I almost hate to see it end, don't you?"
"Well..." I tried to think how to put it. "I'm glad it's over, but I'm not so happy about leaving everybody."
"I wish you were staying for the festivities," she said. "Boring though parades can be. I feel like I haven't had a chance to get to know you again, outside of fighting Kefka."
I felt terrible. She wanted to be my friend, and I was keeping secrets from her. "Celes, I'm so sorry. You're always welcome at Mobliz, you know— I mean, if you can tolerate all the kids, I'd be happy to—"
"We could write, couldn't we?" she interrupted, cutting off my fluttering.
"Of course!"
She smiled, and then seemed a bit taken aback when I threw my arms around her. She patted my back awkwardly, then when I pulled back, said, "We're almost there, so I shouldn't monopolize you forever. Did you want to speak to anyone else?"
I ended up speaking to almost everyone else. Setzer assured me that Edgar fully intended to turn him into a freight company, so he would probably seeing quite a bit of me until my house was completed. Strago threatened to make Relm practice her penmanship on me, though I wasn't sure how much faith to put in that. Cyan actually went so far as to shake my hand, and smiled good-naturedly when Sabin teased him about letter-writing. "At least the lady will have one faithful correspondent," he retorted, and Sabin sputtered a protest and promised to write to me too. I didn't see Gau or Mog. Gogo had vanished at some point the previous night, and I doubted Umaro could write. I could probably hear of Gau through Sabin or Cyan anyway, and knowing Mog, he'd probably drop in somehow if he felt like chatting.
Edgar and Locke had finished their conversation and were headed towards us when the ship pulled into a tight circle, descending rapidly. The wind whipped my hair around – a downside to wearing it loose – and several people yelled in protest at Setzer.
"This is why I always make you go belowdecks when I land!" he shouted back, once the noise and stirred-up dust had begun to settle. "All of you knew we were close. Terra, your luggage?"
"It's still in my cabin," I said, distracted – I could see several of the kids emerging from the house.
Someone's hand was on my shoulder, and I turned, startled, to see Locke. "Why don't you go on?" he said. "We'll go get your things."
I had barely stepped off the ship when Annie barelled into my midsection at high speed, hugging me about the waist and yelling about Katarin's baby. Marjorie and Henry were right behind her, full of complaints that she'd given me the news first. Isabella trailed after them, carrying Charles, the youngest at not quite two years, and leading Cassandra, who was sucking her thumb again. I hugged Margie and Henry and shepherded them over to the other group. Henry, of course, had to challenge the girls to a race back to the house, and Cassie started crying as they loped past.
"Oh, honey," I wailed, dismayed, as I knelt to enfold her in a hug. I also tried to gently disengage her thumb from her mouth, but she resisted. She'd almost broken the habit when I left; she seemed a bit old for it, but I blamed that, and her frequent silence and tears, on the shock of the cataclysm. The effects on her had been strongest and had lasted longest, which worried me, and it didn't look like she'd improved while I was gone.
"The airship scares her," Isabella explained, then added, under her breath, "She's been worse ever since the magic storms."
I mouthed, "Magic storms?" but she just shook her head in reply. "C'mon, let's get inside," I said aloud, but Cassie clung to my neck with her free arm, so I had to pick her up. She's small for her age, four years, but still a bit big to be carried. Once we got inside the former post office, though, she decided she wanted down and went over to the window, standing on tiptoes to look outside. I took Charles off Isabella's hands, and asked, disappointed, "I missed the birth?"
"You didn't miss much," she assured me. "It was disgusting. Kat and Duane seemed to think it was worth it, but they didn't have to wash the sheets. We should have had her have the baby in their little love nest."
I'd deal with that touch of resentment later. "Well, you get off laundry duty for a month or so, I guess," I told her. This was actually why I'd wanted to be here – even on the best of days there was more work than a young man, a pregnant woman, and a twelve-year-old girl could easily handle, and special circumstances just added to that. I wasn't surprised to see that the woodpile was almost gone, and I was sure other supplies were depleted as well. "Have the kids been a lot of trouble? Where are Byram and Theo?"
"They're off getting water or hitting each other with rocks or something. The little kids have been pretty quiet. We had Kat screaming and yelling for hours on end, so I guess that scared them, not to mention the magic..."
"You could see that?" I asked. She just nodded, and I sighed, buried my face in Charlie's hair. He grabbed a fistful of mine, so I was stuck for the moment. I'd never had the courage to explain to them all that even winning the fight might kill me. I'd made it clear to Kat and Duane that I might not come back, but hadn't explained why I was so insistent on the idea. I hadn't even told the kids that much, though they probably suspected. I hadn't guessed they'd be able to follow the fight by watching the sky. I should have realized they'd worry no matter what I said or didn't say.
"He's dead, though, right?" she asked, anxious. "Everything's okay?"
"Yeah," I said. "Everything's fine now."
Margie, Annie, and Henry rejoined us to vie for attention; they had drawings to show me, they had to tattle on each other, and they had to ask what I'd done. I promised to tell them all later, and then the boys saved me by arriving. They submitted to hugs with great shows of reluctance, then talked me into showing off my sword.
That's what I was doing when my friends came in – Sabin was lugging one trunk, and Celes and Locke were at either end of another. They must have been giving me some time, I realized. I sheathed the blade hastily and rushed to help Sabin, who shrugged me off. "It's not that heavy," he said, when I huffed at him and put my hands on my hips. "Just show us where to go."
"Speak for yourself!" Locke panted, still in the doorway.
"Okay, down this way – Come on, guys, out of their way—" I herded the smaller children ahead of me, down the stairs into the basement. Which now contained all the beds from the cave. "Bella?" I questioned, as I scooped toys out of the aisle between the beds.
"We had to move out here. You'll see," she said, grimly.
I did see. Our cave room was half full of laundry. They'd built a firepit at the far end of the room, and apparently dug a chimney up above it. The copper vats were over there, and the linen had been hung up to dry on lines strung across the room. I smelled smoke, soap, and bleach, but everything smelled clean.
"You did a good job," I told her, as I settled Charlie on a flat rock and handed him a toy. He promptly threw it on the floor, but I refused to fetch it for him.
"We didn't want to risk hanging the laundry outside and letting him know we're still alive," she explained.
"Well, we won't have to worry about that anymore," I said, then, at a grunt from Sabin, hurried back to hold the door open – it must have swung shut – and directed them to a corner where my trunks would be out of the way. We stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure how long to prolong the farewells.
"Well, um..." I mumbled, looking at the trunks, my feet, everywhere but at their faces. I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure what could possibly cover it.
"Yeah. We'll see you, though," Sabin said, then he pulled me into a fierce, if somewhat sweaty, bear hug. Celes embraced me awkwardly and turned, hurriedly, to go, with a mumbled promise to visit. Locke held onto me for a long moment. When he pulled away he held me by the shoulders, looking as if he were about to say something, but he didn't. He smiled ruefully and walked away, following the others out, then paused at the door, turning back to look at me and say, "Write to me, promise?"
I ignored the "ooh!" from Margie and Annie. I could feel myself smiling, the kind that actually reached my eyes. "I promise," I said.