The trip to Nibel had proved fruitless. As he crossed back into the limits of Edge, Vincent's chest felt no lighter. Staring into Lucrecia's motionless face had not provided any clarity for his clouded mind. The only parting gift he had received was the damp smell of the cave settled into his hair.
The apartment was dark and silent as he closed the door behind him, dropping his keys on a silver hook. He pressed a white switch and a table lamp illuminated the empty living room, into which he did not even glance before turning for the bedroom. Dim light poured into the normally-tidy room, illuminating the chaos of feminine preparation for a formal evening. Empty packaging for pantyhose and gel high heel liners littered the dresser top. Aria's black garment bag lay strewn across the bed. The sight of it caused his head to ache in regret. As he relocated the bag to the closet, he shook off the feeling, reminding himself how little he belonged in the present version of her past life.
.
"You'd better slow down," a velvety voice chided into Reno's ear. He turned from the bar, fresh drink in hand, and met Aria with his signature cocky grin.
"Mother, may I?" he pleaded sarcastically, raising the glass to her. She arched her eyebrow and pulled the drink from his hand before he could down its contents. Unfazed, he pivoted back to the bartender, who had already begun preparing a replacement.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Socializing. Surprised?"
"Relieved. You didn't seem to be enjoying yourself at dinner."
"You weren't riveted by your tablemates, apparently. Watching me so closely…" she teased.
"As the most interesting person in the room, I find these things happen often. You making a fashionably early exit?"
She swallowed the bittersweet cocktail and replaced the glass on the bartop. "I hate to overstay my welcome."
"Is that possible? It's an open bar. I've never felt more welcome."
"Too bad. You're coming with me."
"That's alright. You take it. I can get another car."
She hooked her arm into his elbow and leaned into his slender frame. Coolly surveying the room from his side, she tilted her head toward his ear. "It's not your car I want."
Her voice had an edge to it that promised devious behavior.
"What did you have in mind?" he replied huskily, enjoying the game already.
"Maybe a little breaking and entering...Gaining access to places I normally can't as a...civilian."
"That Everyman status really gets in the way, doesn't it?" he slurred, shifting his weight into her leaning shoulder.
"We're all dressed up...We might as well get in a little trouble."
Taking his silence for consent, she stepped away toward the coat check. He stumbled at the loss of counterweight and finished his drink from behind a laugh.
Aria settled into the leather seat in the back of the black town car Reno had requested for the evening.
"Where to?" the driver asked cordially.
"Shinra Headquarters," she answered, expecting the gaze that now fell upon her face.
"Say again?" Reno quipped. She smiled easily, placing her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"I just want to see it. I haven't been inside yet, you know."
"Bullshit."
"Headquarters, please," Aria repeated to the driver. He nodded and raised the partition behind his seat.
"Didn't realize you were aiming for getting me fired. I thought you wanted to go to the theater, or the new museum. Something a little more...innocent."
"My intentions are good, and you're the only person that can help me."
Reno slid down in the seat, stretching his legs into the open floor, then dropped his head into her lap.
"You've caught the enigmatic disposition! I'm next!" he cried, mocking her ability to talk in circles.
He sighed, closing his eyes for the ride to come. "I'm watching you. Like a...n eagle."
"Hawk."
"Fucking 'bird of prey.'"
Half an hour later, the pair stared up at the new Shinra tower, only half as tall as its predecessor, but covering twice as much ground. Aria led the way to the front doors, stopping for Reno to catch up only upon finding them locked. He drew out each step for as long as possible, ignoring her dramatic eye roll as he pulled a white key card from his wallet. A leisurely swipe through a red-lit slider pulled the doors apart.
"Security seems lax…" Aria commented, noting the absence of guards in the lobby.
"There's nothing here. Nothing to protect, really."
"You think so lowly of your company," she teased, pausing at a glass-covered map in the lobby to learn the floor plan of the building.
"What, exactly, are you looking for here? I can probably get you in and out of this sterile ass building far quicker than that map."
A brief pause gave her the strength to answer. "Science department."
"Oh, god. What? What the fuck?"
His disinterest elicited a smile, and she finally faced him.
"Records. Remember all that shit we had pulled from the SOLDIER lab just as you moved up?"
"You're digging through Project S?" he surmised. "Why? It's...over now."
"No. Not S. G."
"G? What does that have to do with anything? It failed years ago. I had just started when that went down."
"I know. I'm just curious. Where are all those old files?"
He sighed and started walking toward a long corridor. She followed closely behind. A quick elevator trip brought them to the 23rd floor, where a lab stood only half-finished.
"It's not even finished, and it's eerie as hell," Aria muttered, staring out into the quiet, dusty work zone. In crossing through the dim, silent construction site, Reno's foot caught an extension cord, pulling down a work lamp and its tripod. Both bodies froze in the clatter, aqua eyes staring boldly into violet, waiting for a repercussion that did not come. As the metal rim to the light spiraled to a halt on the floor, the room filled with laughter both intoxicated and intoxicating.
A few steps past the lab, Reno opened a thick door to a finished library, filled with cardboard boxes not yet unpacked. Aria took a moment to stare into the piles of disorganized files and boxes, and could not help but laugh at the hopelessness of her task. Meanwhile, Reno leaned down to read the side of a box.
"Gongaga Botanical Study from fifteen years ago...sound interesting?"
"Not particularly."
"Good." With that, he picked up the box by its corner and dumped its contents into a pile on the floor. Aria covered her mouth to suppress her amused surprise.
"Fucking construction workers, no respect for science," he grumbled, dumping the last file folder and handing the empty box to Aria. "Shop," he commanded.
She laughed and took the box as he lowered himself to the floor.
.
It was only as he had begun to close the bedroom door for the night that keys scraped against the lock of the main entryway. Vincent leaned into the living room and arched an eyebrow upon hearing two sets of hushed laughter from outside the apartment. He leaned against the bedroom door frame, waiting for unstable hands to claw their way inside. After a string of muffled curses, the lock finally turned, the door swinging open under more weight than necessary. Aria fell into the apartment, gripping the doorknob to keep from falling and nearly dropping the cardboard box balancing on her arm, while Reno laughed hysterically behind her, black high heels dangling from his fingers. Upon seeing Vincent across the dim apartment, both stood up straight and lost their smiles momentarily. His silence only inspired more laughter, though, and they cracked together, realizing their struggle to enter the apartment had been observed.
"You decided to come home," Aria noted, taking her shoes from Reno and hanging her jacket on a hook near the door.
"How was the gala?" Vincent asked. Reno dropped his shoulder into the doorframe, mimicking his posture.
"Just dazzling, as expected. Edible food, drinkable drinks, music, dancing, and more money than you can spend in a week-long bender at the Honey Bee," the Turk spouted without missing a beat. "And a little thievery," he added. "'Cause we're fuckin' fancy." Aria shrugged in agreement after dropping the box on the kitchen table, then faced her makeshift date.
"Goodnight, Reno. Please hydrate before you pass out."
"I do not 'pass out.' I take controlled falls into oblivion. See you next weekend? The opening day is weak, but you'll love the fire dancing. It's intended for us night people."
"I'll think about. Go home. Take your controlled fall."
He saluted her command, then waved lazily to Vincent before slipping back out into the hallway and closing the door behind him.
"He's always been that charming?" Vincent asked sarcastically. Aria grinned.
"Just add liquor. Or don't, for that matter." She dropped her shoes beside the door and crossed the distance to Vincent. "Must have been a hell of a walk you took today," she said probingly.
"More of a ride, I suppose. I'm sorry I was not here to see you off. You're stunning."
One corner of her mouth rose in a half-smile. "You should have seen me before Reno got a hold of me." Her brow furrowed in distaste of her own phrasing, and when she shook her head at herself, Vincent exhaled a low laugh.
"You're tired."
"Among other things."
He nodded, then tilted his head toward the bedroom. She followed the silent order and slinked into the room, letting herself fall onto the bed before she even bothered to take off her dress. Vincent glanced at the box on the kitchen table before slipping into the room behind her. He lay beside her, horizontally on the bed.
"Were you able to talk to...anyone?"
She chewed on her lower lip as she recalled the civility with which Rufus had entertained her, before sighing, "I was. Head honcho, in fact." Vincent raised his eyebrows, impressed with her feat. "He knows about the disappearances. I didn't tell him what we saw."
"He didn't notice?" Vincent asked, referring to the fading gray marks on her neck.
"He has a gift for not noticing. It doesn't matter. We can get around him pretty easily. He's allowed Reeve to maintain the WRO on his own, and as of right now, that is only military force in Edge. So. If we want to get into HQ, Rufus is not our man."
"Reeve is," Vincent completed. She nodded as he went on. "I have yet to get through to him."
"And you're hardly the voicemail-leaving type."
He shrugged slightly, accepting the accurate criticism.
"What is happening next weekend? Reno seemed rather excited."
She rolled her eyes. "Kalm has a festival similar to the Cosmo's Harvest. Milder, by far, but he seems to like it."
"Will you go?"
She turned her head to look boldly into the questioning red eyes. "I hope to be attending to more pressing matters."
He nodded once, acknowledging that the ball was in his court. Reeve was his contact, and a connection needed to be made.
Fate had eavesdropped on the post-gala conversation. When Vincent awoke the next morning, the cellphone that Reeve had forced into his possession was glowing on the kitchen counter. He refused to keep the device in the bedroom for just this reason.
Got an interesting call from the President this morning. We need to talk. Out of town until Friday-call you then.
Black eyebrows flashed upward as he interpreted the message. Aria had made an impression.