-Ticket Lady-
Ahhh, boredom. I hate my job. Every day of my 10 years working experience I have slaved off in mediocre employment. I tried almost everything! I've waited at Turtle's Paradise, danced the hula at Costa del Sol; heck, I even mined coal at Corel! But this... this job might be the worst!
"Two tickets please!"
I turned my gaze to 2 pairs of sparkly eyes that were brimming with excitement. A happy couple in love~
"100 GP."
They looked at each other and began to fight over who's going to pay for the tickets. Such fun bickering from the happy couple! They looked so happy and full of love that I want to strangle them both. The gentleman won the playful squabble and handed me the amount. I lazily took two tickets from my antique drawer and gave the two tickets to him. Grinning, the guy took the tickets and placed his lover's arm securely around his own. Without even giving me a second glance, the couple took off to their date. I wish they'd trip on their way to the gondola.
This is my routine everyday. I send off lovey-dovey couples to the gondola ride. When I was still new to my job, I thought it was refreshing to see their faces full of love and hope. Now that I've been working here in the last 5 years… I wished nothing but their unhappiness. It's not that I'm bitter or anything. Well, yeah, I am bitter! There, I said it. I never went on a date. I never had a boyfriend. I wasted my youth in work and things unrelated to love. I was too busy making a living that I forgot romance.
When I was a little girl I always wished for a knight-in-shining-armour to sweep me off my feet and take me to his castle. We would have many children and live happily ever after. I had put those dreams aside when I started working. After working for a very long time, I suddenly realized that I'm missing something. I forgot about my dream! I never thought of anything else now that I'm beginning to grow older. I'm 28 for heaven's sakes! I'll never find a man who would find me attractive if I waited any longer. That's why I've decided to make a move. I gave Knight from Event Square two tickets for the gondola. Even though I practically have the tickets in my hand I still have to buy them off Dio—the cheap prick. But, that doesn't matter anymore. I'll have my own date with Knight and it will be the start of my rosy love life!
"May I have two tickets for the gondola please?"
I stopped snickering; and for a change of pace, I genuinely smiled at the next customers. Standing outside my booth was a beautiful young lady in her early twenties, 21 maybe. She had the most striking green eyes I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of eyes in my line of work. A red bolero covered her shoulders while a cute pink dress covered the rest of her. In the dark, the faint lights that the lampposts gave off illuminated her chestnut brown hair. She certainly was a unique girl, and she gave off a warm aura that would make almost anyone her friend. Surprisingly, she was alone so I leaned a little forward to see who her companion might be, but the only thing I saw were a set of chocobo feathers. Wait, that's a head. That's an authentic human head! I have seen so many weird and hilarious hairstyles in my lifetime, but this one tops them all! What person in their right mind would even think of copying a chocobo's behind as a hairstyle? I'm actually debating myself between congratulating the guy or send him off to a mental hospital.
While I silently humored myself, I forgot that they were still waiting for my response. I half-smiled half-frowned behind the glass; I was wearing a face that other people who were looking might think I was some sort of crazy lunatic.
"That's gonna cost you 100 GP total, missy."
The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She placed a hand on the guy's arm to get his attention. First time in the Saucer, eh? GP stands for Gold Points. It's not real money. They're like tokens that you have to buy with money. Yeah, Gold Saucer will squeeze your wallet dry if you're not careful. Anyway, I raised my eyebrow at the chocobo head. Blonde, blue eyes, a sturdy build. Even though he has this ridiculous hairstyle, he's quite handsome, and strangely enough, the style suits him! If only he'd take away that wary scowl in his face then I could really see how attractive he is.
"Oh, just wait a second please." The brunette breathed and rummaged through her pockets. After a few seconds, she presented me with two ticket vouchers for the gondola. "We only have these though."
My eyes widened and my pupil constricted to pinpoints when I saw the pieces of paper that the girl had in her hands. Those are the same ticket vouchers I gave Knight! That can't be! The girl must've received those from somebody else. There's no way Knight could've given them the special vouchers I gave him for our own date!
"W-Where did you get those?" I asked despite my confidence. I had to know!
The brunette beamed at me and answered, "Knight from Event Square! He gave it to us because the play suddenly went popular after we starred in it. It's so generous of him. I always wanted to go on the gondo—"
"WHAT?! I GAVE HIM THOSE VOUCHERS FOR OUR DATE!"
Ah, I snapped. The brunette held a look of surprise while the blonde quickly jumped in front of her, afraid that I might turn into a dragon and eat the girl alive. I would've if she weren't so darn cute! Damn that Knight! When I'm finished here, I will give him a piece of my foot!
"…we'll just return it then."
My anger was temporarily doused when the blonde spoke up. I took that opportunity to breathe. I usually do this when I get upset. Sometimes, my emotions go out of hand that I let go of my pent up frustrations through shrieking like a banshee. Breathe in, breathe out. Okay, I've calmed down. I stared at the brunette and the blonde. I may regret the words that I'm about to say after this; but seeing her saddened face, I couldn't bring myself to act as the bad guy.
"Nah. I haven't got the heart to spoil your date for those." I grinned at them. "Besides, your girlfriend seems to really want to go for a ride on the gondola."
I must have hit the blonde's nerve. Why? Because his face suddenly went beet red! He's now struggling for words like a schoolboy whose crush was found out.
"S-She's not m-my… W-We're not… A-Aerith?"
The girl and I looked at each other… and laughed! The guy looked at the girl with a sullen face before turning his back on us. He is so cute! The girl skipped to him and apologized with a smile.
Watching them now made my heart flutter. It's like watching my favorite romance movie and rooting for an unexpected pair of individuals to end up with each other. They may not realize themselves, but just by looking at them, I already know that there's something between these two that even science couldn't explain. Will they find that out eventually?
The girl returned to me and handed the tickets over. "We can't take this after all. It's your date with Knight, you should spend it with him."
I shook my head and gave her the tickets for the gondola in exchange. "What ever are you talking about, dear customer? To your right is the entrance for the gondola. Give this to the lazy bum standing there and enjoy the sights!"
The brunette stared at me with misty eyes. No, don't cry on me like that. You'll get me teary-eyed too!
"Thank you so much, uh…"
"My name is Rikku."
The girl smiled at me. "Mine's Aerith, and he," gesturing to her blonde companion, "he's Cloud."
The blonde turned a little to look at me and nod. Still sulking, eh? I giggled like a highschool girl. "Well, off with the both of you! I hear the next gondola coming."
Aerith nodded her head and took Cloud by the hand. After waving me goodbye, the two disappeared from my line of view. After a few moments, I could hear their ride starting.
"I'm rooting for you…" I sighed dreamily as I watch their gondola took off to the sky. The heavens were dark and stars filled the black canvas. I sincerely wish they have a happy ending.
Meanwhile in Event Square…
Knight suddenly stopped from whatever it is he's doing and wrapped his clothes closer to his body. "I feel an ominous aura coming from upstairs…" He looked up and saw fireworks lighting up the night sky. "A date on the gondola... I wish I could have one~"