Disclaimer: Kit Thespian does not own Final Fantasy VII or the characters therein and she is not making money from this.
Chapter Seven
Getting Adjusted
Nibelheim was a quaint little town on the other side of the world from Midgar. Small towns were a nice luxury to Hojo, for someone who enjoyed solitude and peace. However, the serene setting was made a little more tense than necessary by the Turk's presence.
"Vincent," Hojo thought, "My half-brother..."
Dr. Gast led the way to the Shinra mansion that would be their home for the duration of their stay. When asked exactly how long that would be, Gast nonchalantly answered that it could months, or even a couple of years. This had caused a whimper of dismay from Lucrecia, but Hojo had rubbed her shoulder, whispering that Nibelheim was preferable to living in Midgar any day of the week. There were no vehicles honking their horns, people shouting at each other, or smells from sewer drains.
The town was quiet all right; too quiet. Hojo thought that he could breathe the heavy silence. He wasn't altogether shocked, considering that Shinra was gaining a reputation for skulduggery. The three people in scientist lab coats and the man in the Turk suit could not have been much of a comfort. Hojo didn't like the way that Vincent was lagging behind them, and he thought that the Turk was following his wife too closely. Lucrecia was walking behind Hojo, despite reassurances from him, obviously not liking the look of the enormous mansion that sat on the edge of the town.
"It's not haunted, you know," Hojo said over his shoulder.
"I know..." Lucrecia spoke, not taking her eyes from the tall building, "I've just never been comfortable in these sort of houses. I always feel like something will jump out at me. Like rats, or something..."
"You don't need to be afraid; this is a perfectly safe house."
"And besides," Vincent said, "rats are usually scared of people." He stopped following them once they passed through the gate and turned around, as if to see if anyone was following them.
"What about roaches?" Lucrecia finally went to her husband's side and took his hand.
"Rats will eat the roaches," Hojo answered.
"But what about the rats?"
"We've a couple of cats in the house," Gast spoke for the first time in a few minutes, "they'll eat the rats."
Lucrecia was quiet for a moment before smirking and saying, "What do roaches eat?"
"Termites," Hojo replied.
"So, the termites eat the wood, the roaches eat the termites, the rats eat the roaches, the cats eat the rats... Would anything eat a cat?"
"I'm going to eat one if we don't get something for dinner soon," Gast jested, "but in all serious, probably a wolf."
Lucrecia's eyes widened, "A wolf?"
"They live in the outskirts; there's nothing to fear here." Gast went to the wall after the group entered the mansion and turned on the chandelier lights. Lucrecia looked around.
"...We could fit our apartment in this foyer," she said, her voice small.
"I'm in no position to disagree with that," Hojo said. Vincent then walked into the building.
"First things first," Gast said, "I'll show you our workplace."
He led them upstairs into a bedroom and walked over to a circular stone fixture in the wall that looked like a chimney could have been there. Gast pushed a switch and a wall in the stone pushed to the side to reveal a door into a passageway. After pressing another button that turned on the lights in the passageway, the four entered in.It was a long stairwellthat circularly ran down deep underground. The stairs were narrow and had a wooden railing along the sides.
"Spooky..." Lucrecia said, looking around.
"This secret place was actually used for catacombs when the house was first built several hundred years ago. Don't be surprised to see a couple of skeletons. There's even a room with coffins. Our people have built a library and laboratory at the end of the catacombs. Don't worry, once we shut the door, it will seem civil enough."
The library was very accommodating compared to the rest of its surroundings. Lucrecia was still uneasy, but a little comforted by the sight of the books and scientific equipment. Vincent looked around with a raised eyebrow; at the end of his scrutinizing he let out a, "Hmm..."
"Tommorrow we will go to the reactor in the mountains with the mayor, a Mr. Lockheart," said Gast, "that is where they have placed the organism found in the strata."
After they all got something to eat, it was time togo to bed. They had hardly gotten any sleep during the journey. That night, as Hojo emerged from the bathroom connecting to his and Lucrecia's room, he found his wife pulling back the duvet on their bed, running her hands along the mattress and inspecting every corner. She turned her head to find Hojo watching her with a little smirk on his face.
"Well, you can't be too careful," she said, looking once more underneath her pillow.
"I think if there were any pests in there, you've frightened them away," Hojo spoke.
Lucrecia blinked, "You really think so?"
"I know so. Try to get some sleep; stop worrying about roaches."
Lucrecia sighed and settled onto her side of the bed.
"It is wonderfully soft," she sighed.
Someone knocked on their door. Not wanting anyone to see him in his pajamas (or Lucrecia in her thin, satin nightgown, for that matter), Hojo called towards the locked door, "Who is it?"
"Vincent," came the reply.
"...What do you need?" Hojo tried to keep the edginess out of his voice; he didn't want to worry Lucrecia.
"Just checking things. Is everything all right?"
"Everything's just fine, Vincent."
"Thanks for asking," said Lucrecia.
"You're welcome," Vincent answered. Hojo only relaxed when he heard Vincent's footfalls going down the hall towards his own room. And he only moved when Vincent's bedroom door closed. Hojo had kept a perfectly straight face, or so he thought.
"You don't have to be so paranoid, you know," Lucrecia chuckled, "I think he means well."
Hojo rolled his eyes. Lucrecia was the only person in the world who could read his practically unreadable features. He walked towards the bed and got in. There were nightstands beside both his and Lucrecia's sides of the bed, but only his lamp was lit at this time. After he turned the light off, Lucrecia cuddled up next to him and wrapped an arm around his chest.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too."
"...Has Dr. Gast mentioned anything to you about what this organism is?"
"No."
"Why all the secrecy?"
"I don't know."
Lucrecia sighed and listened to the silence for a moment. There were a lot of crickets chirping outside. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. Lucrecia gasped and clasped on tighter to her husband. Hojo chuckled and put his arm around her.
"That was a long way off in the mountains," he said, "don't be scared."
"We're going to have to go up there tommorrow."
"Wolves are nocturnal creatures. It'll be broad daylight when we go..."
"I know, but what if...?"
"No more 'what ifs'. I think you've had enough 'what ifs' for one day," he kissed her, "I won't let anything happen to you. Good night."
"...I know you won't. Good night."