Red Lips,
Bruised hips,
Renouncing life for
meretricious tips
Please, keep your eyes open and watch your step. Don't let these peaceful, grassy plains fool you. What did I just say? Watch your step. Heavens, you villagers always think that coming to the big city will be life changing… For some, very few. Probably not for you. Where did you say you were from? Never mind, don't answer that. It doesn't matter. This city I'm bringing you to is the monstrous. From the stories you've heard, you might think you know what's in store for you. I'm telling you now, and I'll only remind you once, those erroneously flattering tales you heard back home were meant to trick you, to welcome you, to make you believe that anything is possible in this city. Many things are possible here. Perhaps not in the way you quite imagined, though. Leave your dreams at the gate, they won't get you far where we're headed.
Look there! Do you see the wall? That's the gate I'm talking about. Did you know that Midgar used to actually be eight quaint little towns? Well, that's what they say, don't take my word for it. I didn't grow up here either. Anyways, now it's eight sectors with two cities in each. The cities on the ground are for us poor unfortunates. Our home is the slums. And above the gate, that's the plate, the moneyed citizens call that home.
Here, here, through the gate quickly. Be quick I said! There are lots of thugs and gangs down here, we don't want to look like new travelers and attract unnecessary attention. When we first met outside of Kalm and you asked me for directions, your wishful little mind probably thought we would arrive in Midgar, the city of possibilities and Mako, and this would just become your new home. It's not that simple is it? Now that you're here, the warm air is hazing with pollution, the floor is uneven with garbage. Echoes of inebriated voices fill the darkness. Watch your step and quickly this way! I can see the smog stinging your eyes, like there's fire in the air, but trust me, you will get used to it. You will adapt to the smell of the slums as well; the aroma of bitter spirits and decomposing filth will grow on you.
You may have thought it was mere coincidence that you ran into another wanderer headed towards Midgar. No, no, no… I forget, you're a dreamer. Then perhaps it was fate, destiny that you have stumbled upon me and into this story. Either way, it's too late to turn back now.
The performer of any significance, the woman I spoke to you about, the one you came here to Midgar to meet, she is nowhere near here. She will not be expecting us and would not allow us through her door if we tried. Ha! You think she'd spend a moment of her precious time to meet vagrants like us here? Keep dreaming, dreamer. You must wonder though, if she is not here, then why are we? And that's a great question. What you lack right now, is the proper introductions. If we are to make the proper connections, then perhaps we can stumble across the impressive actress you've come here to read about. Perhaps then we can begin the real story. That is why you are here, near the Wall Market on Sector 6 of the slums.
How are you feeling about the slums so far? I'm sure you're used the smell by now. It's definitely another world altogether, isn't it? For most sectors down here, gil and wealth are impossible hopes. The Wall Market is a bit different. There is gil. There is wealth. There's also prostitution, corruption, drugs, murder, gambling… it's the worst of the worst here. Stay close and be quiet.
Do you see those bright pink and yellow lights? Yes, we are headed towards there, the one with all the hearts and bees. Yes, yes, yes, it is a brothel. No, she is not here. Nowadays, she wouldn't be caught dead in a place like Honey Bee Inn. But we're not headed to the flashy cathouse. Do you see the building a few doors down? No, the one supported by rotting wood and stucco. No, no, no. The one with cracks in the windows. That's an apartment of sorts.
I feel like I must warn you about the first character in our story that you will meet. She is nothing like the other woman you were expecting to meet, we have begun low. Please keep that in mind. Now, let's go inside and watch out for the steps, these stairs have been slowly but surely crumbling for years. Don't worry though, I know well which are rotted, just follow my step.
You've come this far, stranger. Through that door, the one cracked open slightly with the dim light pouring through into the dark hallway, you will find Raven. No, you go alone. This is where I leave you. Please, there is nothing to be scared of. She will be your second friend, I promise she will be a better companion than me. Even if she isn't, she is of little importance. She is not who you came here to read about and she will never be involved in the complicated matters on the upper-plate. She will survive and die here in the slums. Anyways, you can leave Raven as soon as you meet another character. The story has not even begun yet.