Hiya, all! Welcome to Ch. 2. I can feel your excitement...or that's the heartburn from the breakfast sausage...oh well. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or it's characters...otherwise I would have thousands of Cids running around...shirtless...-drools- yum...
The smell of tea, liquor, and cigarettes filled Vincent's nostrils as he woke up, his face buried into a pillow.
He sat up, his eyes wandering to the window. Vincent squinted his eyes as sunlight reflected off the water from the oases and into his eyes through the window.
Getting out of bed, the traveler stretched a little, a frown on his face. There had been nightmares. Nightmares from his past, filled with screams of terror and pain.
Putting on his cloak and boots, Vincent left the room, only to bump into a petite woman with glasses. The glasses slightly magnified the size of her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm in a bit of a rush. The Captain will be finished with his shower soon, and will want his tea. Excuse me." And with that, she rushed off to the kitchen.
Vincent followed her, and quietly sat at the small, circular table, silently watching her work. The woman bustled around in the kitchen like a pro, getting the tea ready like it was a habit.
"I really am sorry about earlier. I usually pay more attention, but the Captain doesn't really want to go, so he's really irritable now." Blinking, the raven-haired man now realized the petite woman was speaking to him. He gave a small nod, and she continued. "I would like to go, but I'm indebted to him. I can't leave."
There was a small pang in the man's chest. He pitied the woman, and his face obviously held traces of his feelings. Sitting down at the table, the woman laughed. "Oh, it's nothing like that. He save my life, while losing something that was...dear to him."
Vincent's face went back to being emotionless, and he gave another small nod. The woman took this as a sign to tell her story, so she did. "Cid...The Captain...used to travel all over the world. He was quite the adventurer. Good fighter, good explorer, good looking...but, one day, he decided to take a break."
"Finding a small, quiet town in the desert, he bought a house to recuperate from his most recent travels. He definitely had the money for it, seeing as how he was a mercenary. He wasn't the cheapest, but he was one of the best. Anyways, a traveling merchant came through the town, possessing many rare and valuable items."
Heaving a small sigh, she seemed to take a deep breath before continuing. "Cid, curious, decided to browse through the wares, not expecting there to be anything he would want, only to find something that would help his dreams come true. He found and purchased the unfinished blueprints to an airplane."
"The man always dreamed of being like a bird, flying high in the sky and passing through and over clouds. He had tried many times before to get some form of craft in the air, but couldn't manage anything over a few feet. These blueprints were his ticket to his dream."
Shaking her head, like she was disappointed, she then said, "He finished the blueprints, then handed them over to a woman, one that lived in the town, for review. She happily accepted them, took them home, and got to work."
Vincent's crimson eyes seemed to flicker with enlightenment. The woman noticed, and nodded. "Yes, that woman was me, little ole' Shera. I ended up starting dinner for myself, and fell asleep while going over the plans."
Looking towards the window with a sad look on her face, she watched as children ran around the oasis, playing a friendly game of tag. "The house caught fire, and by the time I woke up, there wasn't a way out. Cid ended up jumping through the window, grabbed me, and retreated. We managed to make it out, only to watch as the house fell into shambles, everything within becoming nothing more than tinder for the flames."
Turning her head back to Vincent, Shera let a small smile onto her face. "He let me live with him after that. I do my fair share around here, so it's not a charity, but...he still blames me for those blueprints. But, he does have a reason. Neither of us can remember the specs of it, no matter how much we try. And that bandage on his temple? That's to cover a scar he got from rescuing me. Both of those...and I crushed his dream, as well."
There was an awkward silence, which was shortly broken by the teakettle's whistle. "Oh, would you like some tea as well?"
Vincent nodded at the question, and gratefully took a steaming mug. Taking a sip, two tastes fused together on his tongue, but he couldn't place what flavors they were. All her could tell was that it tasted like heaven in a cup. He quickly gave a curious glance to the woman, only to receive a chuckle in return.
"I put cinnamon and blueberries in the water when boiling it. The captain loves it, but blueberries are rare around here, so he doesn't get it often.."
"I don't get what often?" The gruff voice made Shera jump and Vincent blink. Cid walked around the corner, fully dressed, his hair damp, and a towel hanging around his shoulders.
"Oh! Just your tea, Captain." Shera's easiness from earlier seemed to vanish with Cid's appearance, as she now sat up straighter and wasn't as chatty.
"Hmph." Sitting down to drink his own tea, he tossed the towel over into the kitchen corner, pulled out a cigarette and his lighter, and lit up. Vincent just sat quietly in his seat, drinking from his own cup.
Vincent's ears perked up a little as he heard three loud knocks from a back door. Looking around, he noticed Cid, who was smirking, getting up from his seat.
"Let me show ya something." The blonde man started to head into the back of the house and out the back door, while Vincent obediently followed.
Squinting from the bright sunlight, Vincent raised his hand to block out some of it, only to gaze upon...a boat?
"This, my gothic friend, is my Tiny Bronco. My baby. Our transportation, too. Fucking amazing, isn't it?" After giving a small glare at the gothic comment, he returned his gaze to the ship, a questioning look in his crimson eyes.
"Ah! You must be wondering how this lovely piece of mechanical genius works. Well, it's a type of hovercraft. Able to float a few feet off the ground, thanks to four large fans built into the bottom, this baby will make traveling to the desert as easy as a two gil whore!"
Proud of himself, he puffed out his chest, only to have his moment of glory interrupted by a call of "Captain." from a person by the ship.
The person, a male, looked like he was in his early twenties. He was as tall as Cid, and his short, bright blue hair was almost the same color of the water in the oasis, and a small pair of glasses sat on the tip of his nose. He also held a clipboard in one hand, a pen in the other. Cid, obviously knowing the new man, called out "Where are the other punks?"
As the man raised his hand, the blonde man quickly covered his ears. The man stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud, shrill whistle, which didn't seem to affect Vincent.
Soon, two figures appeared on the deck, emerging from beneath, and jumped over the side, landing with relative ease next to the blue-haired man. One was a man, who was an inch sorter than Vincent, with a green mohawk and many piercings in his ears and eyebrows, along with grease and oil on his face. The other was actually a girl, about twenty, and was the shortest of the entire group. She was obviously muscular, though not as muscled as Cid or the man with the mohawk, and had her hair, which was a deep purple, in a long ponytail.
"Vin, these are the punks. Punks, meet Vincent, our newest passenger." Cid said this with a small wave, as if not really caring.
"Ouch, Captain. That hurts." A flash of metal from the mouth of the mohawk man let Vincent know that his tongue was pierced. With a small smile, he gave a wave. "I'm Fallen. You know, like a fallen angel? Anyway, I handle the engine and repairs, unless the Captain takes care of 'em first, of course."
The blue-haired man spoke next. "...Koro. I handle supplies and medical help." Quiet and reserved, Vincent decided that him and Koro would get along quite well.
"Mizuki. Comment on my height, and I'll give you a good pounding. I handle driving and navigation." The girl said, her tone light and a smile on her face.
Taking another look at all three of the workers, the raven-haired man noticed they all wore matching jumpsuits and had goggles around their necks. Nodding to each of them in greeting, Vincent turned to Cid. "Highwind, are we leaving yet or not?"
"Tch. Impatient little bastard, aren't ya? Crew! Status of the Tiny Bronco?"
Fallen spoke first. "Engine is fine, and there are no damages or wears on the ship."
"...Supplies are stocked." was all Koro said.
Mizuki, the final one to speak, winked as she said "I'm ready, so let's get the heck outta here already."
Cid nodded in approval, putting his goggles over his eyes as he headed up a ramp and onto the ship. "Then let's move out!"
The crew followed him, putting on their goggles as they said "Captain!" in unison.
Vincent followed last, putting on his hood. Cid brought the ramp onto the ship once Vincent was on, and gave a wave to Mizuki, who started up the ship. It roared to life, and Vincent figured that, if he was close enough, he could probably hear Cid purring with delight. Looking out to the town, he wondered if he was ever going to see it again.
Finally, they lifted off the ground, and started to move, picking up speed as they headed north.
To be continued...
Yay! What's going to happen next? Who knows? Well, I do, but that's besides the point.
Thanks to andrhats and Citakar for reviewing! And that last thought... ..'oops. I meant to end it like "...there isn't a night that doesn't have them..." ...I think...
People reading should review. It makes me feel happy inside, and will give you that feeling, too.