well, gentle readers, I did warn you that things were going to keep going downhill from here, so here we go! For my best beloveds - oceanee - I adore you. I truly, truly do. Your reviews are highlights for me and I look forward to them like you wouldn't believe. All I can promise you is that things will get worse but they'll get better too and I'll do my darnest to make the pain worthwhile at the end. I honestly don't know what will happen to Aerith. I'm only just now starting writing the temple of ancients and I have no idea how that will go. I won't say I'm not influenced by my best beloveds however. Jini - I KNOW! It's hard not to just mush over Cloud myself. Luckily he tends to write himself so I just get to go along for the ride. And - I'm loving the way Aerith and Tifa's relationship is working out as well. Like I said I'm at the temple of ancients in my writing and I have no idea what's going to happen. It's killing me! Calenlass - more fuzziness ahead - er, it's hiding behind all the gore... OCV - lol - sorry I was distracting. I intend to finally catch up on my reading, your fics included, this week. Last week was crazy. And yes! there will be a date. Just - not the date everyone's expecting ;) Dis - funny you should mention Reno and Cissnei... keep your eyes open for them next week or the week after perhaps. And I'm flattered you liked the observatory. I had fun writing that. I agree - Cloud gets seniority, we'll see how he and Leon manage the whole 'leadership' issue. And - good eye. :'D - may I not disappoint with the fluff this week (hang on for next week if I do, its much heavier in the chapters for next week - you'll like ;) And yeah, how's Zack supposed to resist Marlene? Come on, even Vincent can't resist Marlene. writer - wow, how you make my day when I see reviews from you in my email box. You bring me serious joy. I adore the way you broke down the four characters personality types and their interaction. I couldn't have made it half so succinct and true. And here's the Gold Saucer for you. I took some liberties. Hope you don't mind. demonegg - I wondered if anyone else would catch that. I couldn't think of a better title and considering Barrett, I thought I'd risk it - lol. Tae - I'm so glad you noticed Cloud and his reaction to the green. I really can't imagine him dealing with it with anything short of a internal panic attack considering. And yeah, I'm a sucker for the snuggling too. There shall be more! Much more! And yeah, we can't resist a Cloud that's paying attention to Tifa like that, can we? vx-luna-xv - Zack is Zack. I couldn't keep him quiet. And yeah, I feel bad for Leon too but what could I do? Tifa was being very single minded. And - Cloud's hands continue to wander... biskitty - ?!? waaaaaaahhhhh! What? No re-re-re-reviews?! I think I'm seriously going to cry. Well, perhaps not cry but do you mind if I pout? Not having access sucks like a hover. So sorry. Yeah, I loved the Gold Saucer part of the game too. it's so out of place and yet so right and needed. I hope I live up to your expectations and I seriously hope you can at last manage to keep reading my chapters. Just knowing you do makes me feel good. Good luck and God speed on the new job though - I hope it works out wonderfully for you! and of course, thanks always to Peeka-chan without whom this would still be possible but a heck of a lot harder to read ;)
Chapter 75: The Gold Saucer
Tifa was assigned to Aerith's 'group'. Not surprisingly Zack and the children went off in one group. 'Letting all the children go together' Aerith had called it and Zack had teased her that she was just jealous he'd found another girl that adored him as much as she did. Barrett went with Yuffie, who, as soon as she was off the ship, regained every ounce of her hyper energy… until she had gotten on the tram over to the Saucer and then she spent the trip hanging out the window and making noises that had scared the lift operator. Leon had gone with Cloud to talk to the owner of the park. Cid stayed with his ship as well as Red - victim of a 'no pets' rule - and Vincent, who said he wasn't good in crowds. That left Aerith, Tifa and Shera – who all decided to be 'girls' together and make sure they enjoyed themselves.
Yuffie and Barrett were scheduled to visit the museum first and so the 'girls group', after Tifa had seen off her excited siblings and a just as excited Zack, stopped to buy funnel cakes and fried donuts. The powdered sugar went straight to Tifa's head and it wasn't soon before all three of them had gotten giggly. The comedic magic show they saw after the snacks didn't help dispel the giggly mood any and they just compounded matters by going to the fun house next.
Maybe they wouldn't have been as punchy normally but – it was so nice, just for a short time, to be normal. Really just – normal. Doing things girls their age would do, no world to save, no horrible evil to defeat, no life of running and hiding and blowing things up. Just… being girls out having fun together.
Stumbling out of the fun house, faces red from laughing at each other's reflections – and comments on those reflections – they paused under one of the cheerful strands of paper lanterns while Shera had to take her glasses off to wipe the tears off of them.
"Are you sure they didn't put something in our soda?" Aerith asked, trying to reach up and brush the paper lantern above her with her fingertips, eyes shining.
"Giggle juice," Tifa chuckled, leaning down to link her fingers and cup her hand so that Aerith could get a foot up on it and, one hand on Tifa's head, set the lantern swaying.
"I wish I had my camera," Shera lamented yet again and Tifa grinned.
"We should find a photo booth," she suggested and Aerith almost fell off of her.
"Oo," Aerith had too much drama in her voice. "We should. Oh, we should. Come on!" She grabbed Shera's hand and Shera grabbed Tifa's in pure defense as Aerith pulled them both off into the crowd.
There was a photo booth located on the corner of one of the 'streets' and Aerith dragged everyone into it with her. The ensuing photo session went rapidly downhill thanks to the Cetra. The pictures that came out in a long strip for each of them were worth every gil though.
"Now we need cotton candy," Aerith announced and Shera tugged at Tifa's hand.
"Let's do a roller coaster first, okay? Before we eat."
"I vote for that," Tifa volunteered and Aerith linked her arm through Shera's other one and grinned.
"Okay. Roller coaster, then cotton candy! And I want to see the haunted house too."
Tifa's phone rang. And just like that, the laughter slipped away from the group.
"It's Yuffie," Tifa said before she answered it. She listened, gave her own offered assents and then hung up. She looked over at Aerith with a weak smile.
"Looks like it's our turn."
Aerith gave a weak smile of her own. She'd spent her life wondering who she was, what she was, and now she was about to face hints and clues of it. Tifa could understand how that would be just as daunting as it would be a relief. She reached out and gave Aerith's hand a light squeeze.
"We can get the cotton candy afterward," she offered and Aerith squeezed her hand back and smiled softly. Shera reached out and took Aerith's other hand.
"Maybe the haunted house too."
Tifa was glad Shera was with them. Somehow it felt as if together they were the wall surrounded Aerith and keeping her safe.
The museum was through a wide glass revolving door and, as they went through it, Tifa had a moment to muse on just how much fun Zack would have had with that. Then they were inside and walking through the carpeted main lobby. Unlike the rest of the resort, the museum was done almost tastefully, without any gaudy flashing lights or insane clowns on drugs music. Instead there was a large, polished information desk in the center of the lobby and several rooms leading off as well as carpeted stairs leading upward. Tifa was suddenly very aware of her sticky fingers and uncombed hair. From the way Shera was taking off her glasses and cleaning them again, Tifa suspected she wasn't the only one. Making a motion for her friends to wait, she darted over to the information desk and returned with maps of the museum. First, she gestured though and led the group to the bathrooms.
When they emerged shortly afterward, they all had their hair combed back in place and the powdered sugar brushed off of their clothes. Tifa handed out the maps and they wandered over to the 'early Shinra' exhibit. If they were going to be casual about this, walking directly to the 'Ancients' display would tip their hand. Shera made humming comments over the Shinra exhibit and Tifa suspected they weren't just for show. From what the exhibit showed at least, Shinra had once been one of several competing weapons manufacturing companies. It was a long way from world domination and Tifa wondered what the world had been like before Shinra had taken over. Before Midgar. The exhibit didn't say.
Then they wandered over to the room the Ancients' artifacts were in.
Someone had tried to make it a solemn and respectful setting. The music that was piped in here was soft and subtle and the lighting was soft too. There weren't many displays in the room and each of them was in its own glass case on a stand. Aerith exhaled as they walked in the entrance and reached out to take Tifa's hand and Shera's. Together they all went forward.
Tifa had no idea what an Ancient artifact would look like. She knew Aerith and that was her only experience with Cetra. The only thing she thought of when she thought of Aerith that might be considered artifacts were her bracelets or her pink hair ribbon. She supposed she'd expected, if she'd expected anything, something that would remind her of Cosmo Canyon. Instead what she saw wasn't like that at all. It was… liquid.
The first piece was a carving of some sort. Tifa couldn't tell what it was meant to be – other than beautiful. It was made out of stone and yet it looked as if the stone had been liquid when it had taken the form and solidified afterward. There was something so peaceful and relaxing and yet alive and vibrant about the sculpture that Tifa wished it wasn't behind glass and that she could reach out and touch it. Just to see if it felt warm or cool like water.
All of the artifacts were like that. Beautiful and abstract and – harmonious. There were a few that had little plaques to explain what they had once been – simple things like bowls or a hair comb or parts of a traveling loom but most of them were simply marked with the date of their discovery and where they'd been found – City of the Ancients – and that was all. Beautiful just to be beautiful or else too beautiful to be recognized as whatever they'd once been used for. It reminded Tifa of some of Aerith's drawings, the ones she made when she was very tired or very emotional.
Aerith moved from one item to the next as if she were in a dream, eyes soft and a little unfocused sometimes. There was a little smile on her lips and Tifa didn't want to disturb her to ask about it. She looked… she looked at peace. More than she had since they'd found out about Cetra artifacts. Shera and Tifa let her set the pace and they drifted slowly around the room until they came to the raised dais and the single item on display at its top. The plaque simply read:
Key of the Ancients
and nothing else. No date of discovery or place. It was more solid and boring looking than the other pieces they'd looked at already. Long and thin and twirling where the other pieces were smooth and rounded. There was no doubt it was made by the same people though, beautiful despite itself somehow. Very clearly incised symbols marked each of its sides. Aerith let go of Shera to reach up and rest her hand against the glass.
"It… sounds different." Her voice was very soft. "It sounds… purposeful. Everything else is strings and this one is brass. It wants to be used."
"Can you read it?" Shera asked and Aerith frowned and squinted at the stone spiral for a moment before shaking her head.
"No. But I can hear it. I can hear it wanting to be somewhere else."
Tifa gave her friend's hand a light squeeze.
"You think that's it?"
Aerith turned her face to look at her and her eyes were sure.
"Oh, yes."
"Okay," Tifa simply stated. If Aerith said that was what they were looking for than it was. Now it was only a matter of getting it and getting out of here with it still in their possession. She couldn't imagine the manager of this place simply handing it over which meant they were going to have to get Yuffie to steal it.
Funny how her moral compass had shifted over the past year.
Tifa wasn't sure what they would do once they did have it. Maybe it would sing to Aerith where it wanted to go or maybe she could find a thread in the Lifestream of the planet that matched its music. Maybe Professor Gast could figure out what the symbols meant if they took pictures and sent them to him. Tifa refused to think that they might not be able to figure it out somehow.
Shera lightly cleared her throat.
"We can't stay too long," she reminded them. If they were going to steal it the last thing they wanted was anyone in charge of things getting nervous because groups kept coming in and hovering over this one single item. With a nod, Tifa stepped back and Aerith let herself be tugged back down the steps and out of the room.
"I'd like to see the 'Nature's Mysteries' room," Shera offered as they stepped out of the archway. "It's the kind of thing the Captain would want to look at if he'd ever leave his ship."
It made Tifa smile.
"It's almost too bad he got it repaired. At least before, even if we had to walk, we got to see him on the ground from time to time."
Shera chuckled and pushed her glasses back up on her nose as they went into the room that had been decorated to look 'spooky' with dim lighting and each of the displays lit from below with eerie white or green or yellow light. Tifa paused in front of the 'Two-headed Chocobo' that was floating in a jar of cloudy liquid and tipped her head to try to see it better.
"The Captain was meant for the sky. He feels funny if he spends too much time on the ground. Being above things makes him happy." Shera paused and added a bit softer: "And I think it lets him pretend his problems are somewhere below him too."
"You should tell him how you feel," Aerith offered her advice to the other woman and Shera looked down and pushed at her glasses again.
"I can't," she whispered brokenly and Tifa reached out to put an arm around her shoulders.
"I could tell him," Aerith offered and it jerked Shera out of her despair with a horrified noise. Aerith laughed and gave the other woman a quick hug. "I'm just joking. If I wouldn't rat out Tifa – and that took forever – I wouldn't rat you out either. But you should really tell him. Look how beautiful Tifa looks now that she's shining inside."
Tifa opened her mouth to respond and then promptly shut it. Shera giggled.
"You do look a lot happier," she agreed and then Tifa's phone went off again and saved her from having to start squirming at the attention.
"Hello? Leon? What's – what?! Right now?" She looked at the other two women, making an 'I don't know' gesture. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. We'll be there." Hanging up she turned to her friends.
"Leon says we need to get over to the Battle Arena as soon as we can. He didn't say why."
Aerith made a face.
"That's where they do the blood sports for rewards, isn't it?"
Tifa suddenly got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and it must have showed on her face.
"oh – " Shera breathed as Aerith's eyes got wider.
"Oh – no. No. They wouldn't," Aerith protested. Tifa simply turned and ran out of the building, Shera and Aerith right on her heels.
