Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7 > When your heart stops beating
We stop for the night in a small cave Vincent knew of. He gets a small fire going (I don't think he's going to let me near the fire materia in a long time) and sits staring into it. His cloak is hanging off a small shelf in the rock to dry. I can't remember ever seeing him without it; he looks strange, like a part of him is missing. It's too quiet, and the flames make me think too much, so I'm relieved when he stands up to inspect the cloak. He stares at it so dolefully you'd think it was his best friend. Actually, knowing Vincent it's a possibility.
"Don't worry, that thing's so scuzzy you can hardly tell it's been burnt" I say brightly, trying to cheer him up.
"Yuffie" he says darkly, "This cloak is far more valuable to me then you are. I advise you treat it with respect."
Okay, looks like I was right about the best friend thing.
"I don't see why you wear that thing all the time anyway. It's a safety risk, as I just demonstrated. Your lucky it happened while I was around to save you, imagine what might have happened if you were alone! You should be thanking me for bringing it to your attention before something terrible happened!"
The look in his eyes says it all. He picks up the cloak, obviously deciding it was as dry as it was going to get, and puts it back on, carefully doing up the buckles.
"You're not still going to wear that thing are you? After everything I just said..."
"Goodnight Yuffie" he says, cutting me off. I swear that man can make anything sound threatening. He pulls his cape around him like a bat folding its wings, and bows his head so I can't see his face. I sigh and pull out my sleeping bag.
*********
Rufus hasn't got any more assignments for us yet, so I spend the day wandering aimlessly around Edge. Eventually I find myself standing outside a pretty seedy looking bar. The windows are so grimy you can't see into them, and the door is coming off its hinges. I wander in, and am greeted with hostile stares. That's what you get for staying in Turk uniform, but you never know when Rufus will call you up to do his bidding. In fact, the suit has kind of become who I am, sometimes I think if I took it off there wouldn't be anything left.
I sit down at the bar, ignoring the looks I get. The barman, a huge burly looking man that looks like he'd be better off as the bouncer, stares at me curiously, I don't suppose it's often a Turk walks into his bar.
"You got any absinthe?" I ask the barman roughly. He silently reaches behind him and brings out a bottle of greenish-yellow liquid that seemed almost to glow in the dimly lit bar, a bottle of water and a grimy glass. I pour out half a glass of water and top up with absinthe. Bracing myself, I knock it back, and the world starts to look a little brighter.
**********
After a few minutes of wriggling around trying to get comfy I sit up.
"Vincent?"
No answer, he's either asleep or ignoring me.
"Vincent!"
"What"
"You're not a vampire are you? Cos you know, you kind of look like one. And we did find you in a coffin. And I really don't want to wake up in the morning and find out I've joined the hordes of the living dead or whatever"
"No Yuffie, I am not a vampire"
Of course I know that, I travelled for months with this guy, along with everybody else. I just don't want to think at the moment, and winding up Vinnie is a good way to keep occupied.
"What about those demons of yours, they're not going to escape and maul me in my sleep are they?"
"No Yuffie they are not, unless you don't shut up. Then I may be forced to allow them free reign"
"Ok, point taken" I squeak. Talk about your short fuse. Well, what else can you expect from an ex Turk? Thinking about the Turks brings my mind back to Reno. I wonder what he's doing now. Probably having a laugh with Rude at my expense. Or Elena, yea, I bet he's with her. I scowl to myself, and snuggle deeper into my sleeping bag. His loss Yuffie, remember that. His loss.
*********
After a couple of glasses, I have successfully forgotten the events of the past week. I feel a tap at my shoulder. I turn to meet a pair of heavily made up blue eyes. With some effort I manage to focus. She's tall and blonde, about as different from Yuffie as possible.
"Excuse me, but isn't it Reno of the Turks?" she asks.
"You said it baby" I slur. She giggles.
"You know, I've always wanted to ask this, what's it like working for Shinra?" she asks, batting her eyelashes slightly
"I don't like to talk about it" I say, in a tone that was meant to be mournful and full of regret, but being drunk it basically sounded like I have a cold. She doesn't seem to mind though.
"Oh you poor thing, was it awful?" she asks
"I don't think you could understand, really"
"Oh please, just let me try!" she pleads
"Maybe, if you come back to mine, we could, uh, talk, about it." I suggest. She smiles; it was what she was after when she started the conversation. I unstably get to my feet, and she grabs my arm before I fall over. I empty my pockets onto the counter and stagger out the bar, the blonde clinging to my arm, and head in the direction of my house.
"Don't worry, that thing's so scuzzy you can hardly tell it's been burnt" I say brightly, trying to cheer him up.
"Yuffie" he says darkly, "This cloak is far more valuable to me then you are. I advise you treat it with respect."
Okay, looks like I was right about the best friend thing.
"I don't see why you wear that thing all the time anyway. It's a safety risk, as I just demonstrated. Your lucky it happened while I was around to save you, imagine what might have happened if you were alone! You should be thanking me for bringing it to your attention before something terrible happened!"
The look in his eyes says it all. He picks up the cloak, obviously deciding it was as dry as it was going to get, and puts it back on, carefully doing up the buckles.
"You're not still going to wear that thing are you? After everything I just said..."
"Goodnight Yuffie" he says, cutting me off. I swear that man can make anything sound threatening. He pulls his cape around him like a bat folding its wings, and bows his head so I can't see his face. I sigh and pull out my sleeping bag.
*********
Rufus hasn't got any more assignments for us yet, so I spend the day wandering aimlessly around Edge. Eventually I find myself standing outside a pretty seedy looking bar. The windows are so grimy you can't see into them, and the door is coming off its hinges. I wander in, and am greeted with hostile stares. That's what you get for staying in Turk uniform, but you never know when Rufus will call you up to do his bidding. In fact, the suit has kind of become who I am, sometimes I think if I took it off there wouldn't be anything left.
I sit down at the bar, ignoring the looks I get. The barman, a huge burly looking man that looks like he'd be better off as the bouncer, stares at me curiously, I don't suppose it's often a Turk walks into his bar.
"You got any absinthe?" I ask the barman roughly. He silently reaches behind him and brings out a bottle of greenish-yellow liquid that seemed almost to glow in the dimly lit bar, a bottle of water and a grimy glass. I pour out half a glass of water and top up with absinthe. Bracing myself, I knock it back, and the world starts to look a little brighter.
**********
After a few minutes of wriggling around trying to get comfy I sit up.
"Vincent?"
No answer, he's either asleep or ignoring me.
"Vincent!"
"What"
"You're not a vampire are you? Cos you know, you kind of look like one. And we did find you in a coffin. And I really don't want to wake up in the morning and find out I've joined the hordes of the living dead or whatever"
"No Yuffie, I am not a vampire"
Of course I know that, I travelled for months with this guy, along with everybody else. I just don't want to think at the moment, and winding up Vinnie is a good way to keep occupied.
"What about those demons of yours, they're not going to escape and maul me in my sleep are they?"
"No Yuffie they are not, unless you don't shut up. Then I may be forced to allow them free reign"
"Ok, point taken" I squeak. Talk about your short fuse. Well, what else can you expect from an ex Turk? Thinking about the Turks brings my mind back to Reno. I wonder what he's doing now. Probably having a laugh with Rude at my expense. Or Elena, yea, I bet he's with her. I scowl to myself, and snuggle deeper into my sleeping bag. His loss Yuffie, remember that. His loss.
*********
After a couple of glasses, I have successfully forgotten the events of the past week. I feel a tap at my shoulder. I turn to meet a pair of heavily made up blue eyes. With some effort I manage to focus. She's tall and blonde, about as different from Yuffie as possible.
"Excuse me, but isn't it Reno of the Turks?" she asks.
"You said it baby" I slur. She giggles.
"You know, I've always wanted to ask this, what's it like working for Shinra?" she asks, batting her eyelashes slightly
"I don't like to talk about it" I say, in a tone that was meant to be mournful and full of regret, but being drunk it basically sounded like I have a cold. She doesn't seem to mind though.
"Oh you poor thing, was it awful?" she asks
"I don't think you could understand, really"
"Oh please, just let me try!" she pleads
"Maybe, if you come back to mine, we could, uh, talk, about it." I suggest. She smiles; it was what she was after when she started the conversation. I unstably get to my feet, and she grabs my arm before I fall over. I empty my pockets onto the counter and stagger out the bar, the blonde clinging to my arm, and head in the direction of my house.
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