Just at the time Cloud was expecting, he heard the sound of a quick knock echoing throughout the room. He walked over to open the door and found Biggs and Wedge freshened up and ready for the evening.
"You ready to go eat?" Wedge asked.
"Or do you need more time?" Biggs followed-up, cocking an eyebrow and leaning to the side.
Cloud just kept a straight face. "I'm good, but thanks." And it was true. As much as he wanted to spend every waking moment with Aerith, he couldn't keep up this charade of her talking the entire time while he sat in silence forever. Girls liked some conversation, right? And he definitely couldn't keep blaming it on the heat; eventually she would start wising up. Besides, he was hungry, and he was looking forward to exploring beyond their room.
Aerith walked to the doorway, her pink dress flowing effortlessly with her. "I'm ready, too. So, where are we going to go eat?"
The question was clearly directed at Wedge, and he wasted no time piping up. "Well, I did some research, and I found this place nearby called Wall Market. It's this new concept thing they're calling a food hall. They have all sorts of food stands with a central seating area. Kind of like a fancy food court. I figured it would give us lots of variety to choose from, and it would be quick, so we'd have ample time to make our show."
"Sounds good to me!" Aerith cheered.
"Me too," Cloud said with a nod. He was grateful Wedge took the lead in picking a place to eat, since Cloud was in no shape to make that kind of decision right now. He had spent all his mental energy deciding the few words he had already said to Aerith.
"Then it's settled," Wedge proclaimed, motioning the others to follow him. "To Wall Market we shall go. Follow me—I know the way."
As Cloud gently closed the door behind him, he watched Aerith skip down the hallway to join Wedge. Her pink bow bobbed with each one of her bouncing steps. Biggs caught him staring, and he gave Cloud a wink and a smile in return. Cloud tried his hardest not to show how embarrassed he was.
Wall Market ended up being a big hit, even though it was filled to the brim with people. There were many food stands to choose from, each one offering an enticing but distinct genre of cuisine beneath its corresponding flashy neon sign. Good thing, too, since everyone in the group seemed to be in the mood for something different. The vast array of options allowed the group to temporarily go their separate ways, but they joined up together once they had gathered up all of their plates.
They met at the center of the hall, taking their seats at the metal table and chairs, stylish but predictably uncomfortable. Cloud had opted for the sushi for his meal tonight, and he took a mental note of each of the other options his friends had chosen. Biggs got some Korean BBQ, Aerith bought herself a salad, and Wedge—to no one's surprise—got pizza.
In between bites of her salad, Aerith asked politely to try one of Cloud's sushi rolls, and of course he couldn't say no (he could barely say yes, either). She struggled a bit with her chopsticks, fumbling with the awkward wooden utensils while trying to balance the roll. Each time she thought she had managed to pick it up, the roll escaped from the chopsticks and thudded back onto the plate, as if it really didn't want to be eaten. Eventually, Aerith sighed and gave up, opting to whip out a plastic tried-and-true fork instead. With careful precision, she successfully balanced the roll on top of the utensil, letting out a cheer as the piece finally stood in place. She took a big bite and smiled in satisfaction.
"Delicious," she said with a giggle. "Sorry, my chopstick skills seriously need some work. Add it to the list of things I need to learn. You can tell I don't get out much."
The group shared a laugh as they took bites of their own food. Cloud found the moment endearing, impressed with her perseverance; but he didn't know how to tell her that without sounding weird, so he let the moment pass.
The group soon finished up their meals and made their way to the theater for their acrobatic aquatic show. When they arrived, the usher showed them to their seats. Through some sly maneuvering from his friends, Cloud was seated next to Aerith. It looked like he was in for even more close-proximity time.
"I'm so excited," she squealed, rocking back and forth in her seat. "My first Vegas show! And I hear Materia is a good one."
Wedge turned to face the group. "It should be fantastic. I heard they really lean into the orb theme." While waiting for the show to start, the group engaged in a lively discussion of the previous shows they had seen or heard about.
Pretty soon, the lights dimmed and the show began. Shiny orbs in a rainbow of colors were peppered around the stage; some were juggled, some magically disappeared and reappeared, and some were there just to be aesthetically pleasing. In the center of the stage—and the pièce de resistance—was a giant circular pool of water that was built into the stage, perhaps the most magical orb of all. Quite a few acts used the water to maneuver around and perform impressive feats. The performers dove and swam through the water with ease, as though they had lived underwater their entire lives. Outside of the water, there were acrobats elsewhere on the stage swinging from death-defying heights or bouncing around on conveniently placed trampolines. It was sometimes hard to know where to look with so much going on.
There was some sort of overarching storyline too, but Cloud wasn't really able to follow it. It didn't help that he was sneaking occasional glances at Aerith as she watched the show with absolute awe, her face displaying a range of emotions as the story on the stage moved along.
Cloud even snuck a glance at her hands a couple of times as she gripped the armrests on both sides of her chair. He wished so badly that he had the courage to place his hand in hers, especially during the show's more emotional parts. Would she let him, or would she turn him away? He wasn't up for the potential rejection, so he wouldn't dare take the risk. Maybe at some point this trip he would muster up the guts to try.
Eventually, the show had reached its end, and the acrobats performed their final scenes with a grand finale of countless orbs, splashing, and death-defying feats. The theater cheered in approval and the house lights came on.
Aerith just sat there in her chair, stunned. "That was absolutely amazing, guys. I'm so glad Johnny was able to gift his ticket to me."
"That show was incredible!" Biggs agreed, rising slowly from his chair. "Well, the night is still young. Let's see what other mischief we can get into."
Wedge slowly rose out of his seat too. "I think I saw a Moogle Money slot machine on the way into the theater. Maybe this is your chance to strike it big, Biggs."
"Ooh," Aerith cooed. "I haven't even gambled yet. I'd love to learn how to play."
Biggs laughed. "Well, there's not much skill. It's mostly just luck and pressing buttons. But it sure is fun when you win."
The group made their way out of the theater, Wedge leading the way back towards the slot machine along the familiar marble walkway. So many different machines passed by in a blur—some big, some small, some with handles, some without. A few were even starting to look familiar to Cloud as he was slowly getting used to being back in the familiar city.
"How do you even keep track of all of these?" Aerith asked with a giggle, studying each machine that passed her by.
Wedge slowed his pace and led the group off to the side, onto the lush carpet. He shot them a big grin, satisfied with his detective work, and stretched out his arms at the machine he had been searching for. "Here it is, Biggs."
In front of the group was the infamous Moogle Money, and the group took a moment to take it all in. It had one long video screen that seemed to stretch towards the sky with a logo on top featuring the cuddly white creature with wings on its back and a red floating pom attached to its head.
"That must be the infamous moogle," Aerith said, pointing toward the giant logo. "What exactly is it?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Wedge admitted. "But he's pretty adorable. Reminds me of one of my cats back home."
A variety of cute characters also adorned the machine, and a palette of bright colors peppered the screen. Big bright buttons rested below the giant monitor, allowing the player to choose their bets and spin frequency. In front of the machine was a giant, black, comfy chair. Biggs wasted no time grabbing a seat.
Aerith took a serious look at the machine, observing the intricate details. "I have no idea how any of this works, but it looks so pretty."
"Allow me to explain," Biggs began. "But first, we have to actually put in some money to bet."
Biggs reached for the leather wallet in his back pocket, opened it, and took out a crisp $20 bill. He straightened the bill out and placed it carefully between his fingers before inserting it into the machine. The unit snapped up his money, and after a second or two, it registered $20 in credits on the screen. Lively music chimed from the speakers, the noise invigorating, and Cloud felt himself leaning forward like the others, excited to see.
"Now we're ready to play," Biggs continued. The rest of the group hovered around the game, watching his every move. "Next, we'll use this button for our first spin and see what happens."
Biggs pressed the corresponding button on the right-hand side of the machine, and everyone watched the machine make its first play of the night. The digital reels scrambled through a variety of symbols with a series of beeps and bloops, before arriving on their determined pattern. At first it looked random, but soon, through the various markings, Cloud could pick out three distinct white moogles in the center of the screen. The machine emitted a rousing melody, and credits appeared to be added to the total. Wedge grinned, bumping Biggs in celebration.
"That's good, right?" Aerith asked.
"Not bad for a first spin," Biggs answered. "But we can do better." He pressed the spin button a few more times, with varying degrees of success. Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud could see the credit meter steadily increasing. On Biggs's next spin, the screen temporarily went black and a giant moogle appeared in the center, covering the screen almost completely, while lightning and thunder noises boomed from the unit.
"Oh no!" Aerith exclaimed. "Is the machine broken?"
The group laughed in unison.
"Not at all," Biggs explained. "This is Kupo Cash, one of the bonus rounds. It happens randomly. Now the goal is to try and get as many moogles as possible during my free spins."
The group watched as the giant moogle appeared to fade out from view. The familiar reels appeared once more, proceeding to spin on their own without any interaction from Biggs. A plethora of moogles popped out on each reel with every new spin. Aerith jumped in excitement each time the cuddly white creature reappeared on screen. Eventually, the spins came to an end and a bright yellow banner appeared, revealing the total payout for the bonus round.
"35 dollars!" Aerith read out loud as the number flashed on the screen. "You've almost doubled your money, Biggs!"
Biggs played a few more spins as the group continued to watch in astonishment, waiting to see what magical event would pop up next. Soon, another bonus appeared, this time showing three bright yellow large birds appearing at different spots around the screen.
"Is this something different?" Aerith asked.
"It is," Biggs confirmed. "This is the Chocobo Chance. You can pick a chocobo on the screen. Based on what you choose, you'll win a prize."
"How do you know which one to pick?"
"That's the luck part of it," Wedge chimed in.
Biggs turned to face Aerith and lifted his hands from the machine, inviting her to take over. "Go on and pick one, Aerith."
Aerith stood frozen, unsure of what to do. "I-I don't want to pick the wrong one."
It was the first time Cloud could remember hearing hesitancy in Aerith's voice. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but Biggs beat him to the punch.
"We're all just guessing. Don't think too much about it. Go with your gut."
Aerith reviewed the screen for a moment, as though she was preparing for a very important test. She closed her eyes and waved her hand around, searching for the right chocobo to pick. "I'll pick… that one." She opened her eyes, pointing to the chocobo on the far left-side of the screen, her finger hovering over the monitor without touching it just yet.
Biggs gave her an encouraging nod and she slowly pressed her finger to the screen, committing to her choice. The chocobo squawked and flew away, startling her a little. Once the chocobo was gone, another number stood in the place where the creature had once been.
"50 dollars!" Aerith exclaimed with delight.
"You picked the best one," Biggs said as the rest of the potential choices appeared on screen, confirming her pick.
"Way to go!" Wedge congratulated.
Cloud racked his brain, trying to think of something else to add to the conversation, but before he knew it, the moment had passed and the group had moved on. He just couldn't think that fast.
"Thanks to you," Biggs continued, "I've almost tripled my money. Not bad, huh?"
Aerith laughed with glee. "Wow, gambling is so much fun!"
Cloud knew what a dangerous trap slot machines could be, as he'd had his share of losses. But seeing the joy in her eyes with each spin and new bonus round was hard to resist. With her attention focused more on the screen and playing along with Biggs, Cloud could look at her without worrying about potential eye-contact awkwardness. No way was he about to give this up. Biggs may have been lucky at the machines, but Cloud had hit his own sort of jackpot tonight.
Aerith couldn't believe all the fun she was having in this city, and it had only been a few hours. The room was amazing, the food was delicious, the show was incredible, and now she was learning everything she had ever wanted to know about slot machines but was too afraid to ask.
It still felt like a dream at some points, like it wasn't all real. Yet here she was, having the time of her life.
All the guys had been great so far, but she was especially intrigued with that cute, blonde, and spikey-haired friend of Tifa's. He didn't have a whole lot to say—that heat must be really getting to him. But he was sure fun to look at, and she sure didn't mind having him as a roommate. He reminded her a little of her old flame Zack, but only a little.
Unlike her old flame, Cloud was a lot harder to read. At some points during the trip, she had thought they might have had a connection, but other times he had seemed so distant. What was going on in that brain of his? She swore she caught him a couple times taking longer glances than normal, but maybe it was all in her head, or maybe his mind was wandering elsewhere. Perhaps he was just bored.
She tried to push it from her mind and not worry about it. She was here to have fun, and for all she knew, Cloud wasn't giving her any mental energy, so why should she? Plus, she didn't want to let herself fall too hard and get her heart broken again. She knew she had a tendency to fall too easily.
Yes, she decided, she would let it go for now and focus on more important things. And right now, she had yellow birds to pick and white cuddly creatures beckoning for her attention instead.
Some more IRL notes for you if you're curious: the Wall Market food court is actually based on the Block 16 Urban Food Hall found at the Cosmopolitan. The Materia show is based on the Cirque Du Soleil show called O at the Bellagio (the name "Materia" just sounded like a name they would call their shows.. haha). Moogle Money is not a real slot machine (I wish) but is based on lots of character-driven slots machines in Vegas like Buffalo Grand.
Thanks as always for your reviews and kudos.