"Final Fantasy VII Lateral Biography: TURKS - The Kids Are Alright"
- Thread starter Strangelove
- Start date
Pixel
The Pixie King
Just an update, CrashOuch has been going through a lot of the chapters proofreading and formatting so it reads more like an english novel, since the formatting when translated directly can be difficult to figure out who's talking. I still need to update all of that on here.
mecorx is halfway through chapter 39, but she's been busy with a new job and stuff. But it will get done.
Something I noticed, The Who isnt the only music reference in Nojima's writing. We have the title of this novel, Evan's surname, Townshend. In Episode Shin-ra, there's Dr. Kilmister, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead. Also, I think Kyrie might be a reference to the song "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister, though it could equally be from the hymn "Kyrie eleison".
I bet we'll get more references in the remake.
mecorx is halfway through chapter 39, but she's been busy with a new job and stuff. But it will get done.
Something I noticed, The Who isnt the only music reference in Nojima's writing. We have the title of this novel, Evan's surname, Townshend. In Episode Shin-ra, there's Dr. Kilmister, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead. Also, I think Kyrie might be a reference to the song "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister, though it could equally be from the hymn "Kyrie eleison".
I bet we'll get more references in the remake.
ForceStealer
Double Growth
I knew Uematsu was a classic rock fan, but I hadn't known that about Nojima previously.
Pixel
The Pixie King
39. Nibelheim
We headed to Nibelheim by helicopter, piloted by Elena.
Tseng was sitting in the back seat, facing us. "How is your shoulder? The doctor had been preparing to examine..."
"It’s fine. No problem."
"There is lots of medicine. Any time, just let me know. But... it really doesn't hurt?"
"Everyone keeps asking me that, but I swear, it's true."
"Maybe you're already dead?" said Tseng, looking straight at me.
I noticed Kyrie's whole body tense up next to me. "What does that mean?"
"I was just kiddin’, ya know."
"It’s inappropriate." Kyrie said, in disgust.
Before long, an eerie mountain came into view. Nothing but rugged, desolate terrain. I was taken aback. It was the landscape from the painting we had up on the wall of the Mireille Detective Agency.
"Kyrie, that mountain!"
Kyrie clambered over me to put her face to the window, and cried out in surprise.
"That's Mt. Nibel." Tseng said. “There's a Mako reactor there. It’s rich in Mako, so the village at the foot of the mountain, Nibelheim, also served to house our research facilities."
"Research on what?"
"It's hard to explain."
"You mean it's a secret."
"I don't know everything, either." Tseng proceeded to look at my face. "The name Annette Townshend wasn’t on the list of researchers. It is not impossible that she participated unofficially, and that we were not aware of that. However, there was an incident, so a detailed investigation was performed on the village. Therefore, it's unlikely that your mother was a researcher there."
"Oh." I gave an indifferent response on purpose.
"If Annette Townshend was involved somehow... it had to have been after.”
"After?"
"Nearly ten years ago, an incident took place in this village. In order to conceal it, we rebuilt the village and recruited settlers, pretending as if nothing happened."
"You don’t have a list of those names?"
"No. The Turks weren't involved directly."
"So, were you involved in the incident, then?"
"I would rather not say."
I was sure they were totally involved.
"Tseng, sir, we're descending." Elena's voice caused us to look down again.
It was the village of Nibelheim. I thought that it resembled Doyle village. Of course, it was many times larger, but it also had a circular plaza with houses built all around. In the plaza was a dilapidated water tower. It was a small village consisting of just that. No. There was an out-of-place, imposing stone mansion. It's the building from the background of the group photo. Perhaps that was the Shin-Ra research facility. This and that Shin-Ra's research... the photo of the mummy I saw at Dr. Dake's... I felt like they were connected, somehow.
"Ah."
"Hmm?"
I recalled Tifa, who was born and raised in this village. She said when she visited two years ago, all the residents of the village were people she didn't know. The incident, the cover up, the settlers. I see. My mother must have been a settler.
The helicopter descended toward the water tower. The people who had heard the noise came out from their houses and looked up at the sky. I searched for my mother's face amongst them. I had thought that she probably wouldn't be there anymore so many times that I had even contemplated giving up on visiting Nibelheim, yet I still searched for her in earnest.
**
The villagers watched from a distance as Tseng, Kyrie and I got out of the helicopter. Nobody attempted to approach. At a glance, they looked like several families. I could also see small children. I thought I'd try to find faces from that group photo, but I couldn't remember any except for my mother’s and Gould Arde’s.
"Hello!" Kyrie called out to a little girl. The girl then hurriedly went into her house.
"Who are you!?" I heard a voice shout.
When I sought out the source of the voice, I noticed a man with a beard covering the lower half of his face was glaring at us. He was holding a large gun in his hand.
"Everyone inside. I'll take care of them." The villagers went back to their houses, as the man instructed them. "Well, then? Who are you?"
"Gould Arde!?" Kyrie wore a look of surprise.
Then, a surprised expression appeared on the man’s face as well. His face... I hadn’t recognized it at first because of the beard, but he was definitely Gould Arde.
"Hello, Mr. Gould Arde." Kyrie approached Gould Arde, and Tseng and I followed.
"Wait! You, with the long hair. You're with the Turks, aren’t you? Stay there. I don't want any trouble."
I looked back as I felt him stop behind us, Tseng motioned for us to go using the back of his hand.
-
Gould Arde guided us to a room in a building, which appeared to have been an inn. It was likely his private room, now. It was lacking in daily necessities, just like my room, but the walls were lined with guns and knives.
"I'm in charge of security here. We’ve got things like monsters… among other things. Problems arise from time to time." That seemed to be an excuse to me, seeing as I was looking at the dangerous tools on the wall.
"What kind of people live here?" Kyrie asked in a friendly manner.
"Well, folks who like it here. We all settled here without permission, so we feel a bit guilty. Everyone’s a bit wary, but once you get to know us, you’ll see we’re actually just normal people.. So, how come you know who I am?" While saying that, Gould Arde sat down in an easy chair in the corner of the room. There was nowhere for us to sit.
"We're investigators from the Mireille Detective Agency. We came here from Edge."
"Edge?"
"It's a new town built next to Midgar."
"Really? Well, I'd heard stories. So, that’s what it’s called, huh?"
"Mr. Gould Arde. We came looking for you at the request of your father."
Gould Arde listened to Kyrie, looking quite dumbfounded. "You’re talking about my father... as in Tyran Arde?”
"Yes."
"Tyran is looking for me? I don't get it."
"What do you mean?"
"My real father died in the Wutai war when I was a kid. Tyran's my mother's second husband. I've never thought of Tyran as my father. Wasn’t it the same for him? I only thought about how I could leave home, and eventually joined Shin-Ra..."
"As in, Soldier?"
"Yeah. I would’ve done anything to get out of the house. I didn't like that my mother started living with him against my wishes, either. I still had my ties with that home when mom was alive, but I thought I had severed them all after she passed away. What would that guy want with... oh, so he wants me to take care of him in his old age, does he?!"
"I didn't get that impression. He just seemed lonely." Kyrie was protecting her client.
"Hmph, I wonder about that.” Gould Arde was stubborn.
"I'm going to report this to Tyran Arde, is that okay with you?"
"Do what you like. It’s your job, right?" He turned his palms up to put an end to the matter.
"Let's go, Kyrie."
Kyrie stared at me in a criticizing manner. Then she shook her head. It seemed she had no intention of following me. "There's someone else we're looking for."
A specific feeling was rapidly welling up inside me. It was fear. In the next moment, I would discover whether my mother was dead or alive. For two years, there had been no contact. I was ready. But surely it would be considerably harder to hear it. It probably wouldn’t be comparable to that prick of pain I felt every time someone said that my mother was dead. I tensed up, in preparation for the shock.
"Annette Townshend." Kyrie said. "She’s Evan's mother."
Gould Arde looked at me, his mouth still half open. "Annette's ... son. You're Evan Townshend?"
"Yes."
"Then, is Nick Foley doing well?"
"Huh? No, he passed away."
"Well, I hadn’t heard from him ... so that’s what happened, then? On the day the lifestream surged, Nick... you know about that, right?"
"Yes."
"When it passed here, the lifestream caused considerable damage. People died, too. Nick tried contacting the company for instructions, but it seems they told him to handle it on his own. They probably had their hands full over there, but, well, that was pretty cruel." Gould Arde noisily scratched his beard.
"And that guy, oh, what a guy he was. He went back to Midgar to tell families about what happened to everyone here. On that worn-out motorcycle, you know? He must really have felt for them. Though it was his job, those folks were the ones who gathered the settlers. He was a real diligent, great guy. Listening to each person's circumstances, and attempting to make sure they were fully accommodated. Uhh, hmm?
Wait up, you folks know too, right? About what happened to Nick?"
"I’ve only ever met him once."
"Once? Well, then I guess you must’ve left a pretty strong impression on him."
"What do you mean?"
“He was legitimately worried that if he wasn't liked by you, Annette's son, he would have serious trouble being accepted by her. As far as I could see, it was the perfect example of unrequited love. Coming from a fully grown man, no less."
So Nick Foley did like my mother, after all. My instincts were right. But my mother didn't accept him. I’d misunderstood that part. I recalled the confidence-filled smile he had on his face when we first met. I wondered if that was the best smile he could muster. Nick Foley was nervous to meet me. He wanted to be seen as a man worthy of my mother, with a once-in-a-lifetime-shot smile. Suddenly, he seemed like a close friend.
"So, what about Annette?"
"Eh?" I didn't understand Gould Arde's question. Why was he asking me?
"Annette wasn't here for even a week. She left the village due to her work ... she hasn’t returned yet?"
"No."
"I see ..." Gould Arde looked at me with sad eyes.
"Evan's mother was one of the settlers, right?" Kyrie asked instead of me as I stayed quiet.
"Oh. You wouldn’t know about that, either, huh. Well, you can blame the contract for the fact that not even families were informed of anything. Nobody was informed that the settlement was here, and a huge reward was included as hush money, too."
"A huge reward, huh?"
"Annette had said she needed money. Half of the sum ought to have been paid up front."
I finally knew where the money in the ceiling came from.
"Err, Gould," Kyrie said. "Would we find out more if we asked the people here? About Evan's mother, that is."
"No, it would be pointless. Everyone that’s here now settled here after that day. Most of the settlers before... were killed by the lifestream."
"My mother had already left by then, right?"
"Yeah. Actually, back then, Shin-Ra were running experiments, and some of the victims of the research lived here. Annette was in charge of their care. Oh yeah, wait a minute." Gould Arde got up and went to the bedside table, and squatted down. There was a small safe under the table. He turned the dial on the safe with practiced precision, and opened the lid. Then, he took out a sealed letter, and checked the address. "A while after Meteor, this arrived from Annette. It was addressed to Nick, but... he was no longer around. You can have it."
I found myself unable to take the envelope that was being held out to me. It was because it felt like it might be her will. Gould Arde looked at me with curiosity. Kyrie reached out from beside me, and took it.
"I was only around Annette briefly, but she really was a good, kind person. I, too, pray she’s safe."
"Thank you."
"Perhaps, she may still be at Icicle Inn."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the letter. It was sent from Icicle Inn, wasn’t it?"
I looked at the envelope at his urging, and sure enough, it was written there in my mother's hand.
"Sorry I couldn’t help more."
"No."
Gould Arde spread open his hands again. It seemed this was the end. Surely there was nothing more I could find out about my mother. We were about to leave the room.
"Hey, you said Tyran seemed lonely, right?"
"That’s how it seemed," Kyrie responded. "Well... perhaps he felt the same way as Nick in the story you told us just now?"
"Oh?" Gould Arde furrowed his brow. I couldn't understand what Kyrie said, either.
"That if he wasn't accepted by you, he would never become a part of your family."
"My mother's already dead."
"Even so, you never gave up, right? You’ve continued to regret it, haven’t you?"
"...hmph." I could see the distress in his bearded face.
"This is Tyran's address. I'll leave it with you." Kyrie passed him a small, folded notebook, which she had apparently prepared. She must have expected this would happen. I was no match for her.
"Oh yeah, why the hell are you guys with those Turks? I’m not gonna say anything bad. Just put an end to it. They’re like ghosts from a past world." Gould Arde said, but his mind was elsewhere ... that's how it felt.
-
We went back to the helicopter, parked tightly next to the water tower. Tseng opened the door and greeted us.
"To Icicle Inn." Kyrie told them as soon as she boarded. Tseng looked at us in surprise. He seemed to be waiting for her to say more.
"Icicle Inn." I repeated it as well.
"Elena, fly." Tseng said, giving in.
"Evan, here." Kyrie held out my mother's letter, which she had got from Gould Arde.
I took it, and chucked it in my shoulder bag. "I'll read it later."
Suddenly feeling curious, I took out the group photo taken in Nibelheim, and stared at it. Kyrie peered at it next to me. Flipping it over, you could see the phone number of my house was written there. It wasn’t as if he had written the number unwillingly because he had been abandoned by his company. Nick Foley wanted to look for her with me. For Annette Townshend, the one we both loved.
We headed to Nibelheim by helicopter, piloted by Elena.
Tseng was sitting in the back seat, facing us. "How is your shoulder? The doctor had been preparing to examine..."
"It’s fine. No problem."
"There is lots of medicine. Any time, just let me know. But... it really doesn't hurt?"
"Everyone keeps asking me that, but I swear, it's true."
"Maybe you're already dead?" said Tseng, looking straight at me.
I noticed Kyrie's whole body tense up next to me. "What does that mean?"
"I was just kiddin’, ya know."
"It’s inappropriate." Kyrie said, in disgust.
Before long, an eerie mountain came into view. Nothing but rugged, desolate terrain. I was taken aback. It was the landscape from the painting we had up on the wall of the Mireille Detective Agency.
"Kyrie, that mountain!"
Kyrie clambered over me to put her face to the window, and cried out in surprise.
"That's Mt. Nibel." Tseng said. “There's a Mako reactor there. It’s rich in Mako, so the village at the foot of the mountain, Nibelheim, also served to house our research facilities."
"Research on what?"
"It's hard to explain."
"You mean it's a secret."
"I don't know everything, either." Tseng proceeded to look at my face. "The name Annette Townshend wasn’t on the list of researchers. It is not impossible that she participated unofficially, and that we were not aware of that. However, there was an incident, so a detailed investigation was performed on the village. Therefore, it's unlikely that your mother was a researcher there."
"Oh." I gave an indifferent response on purpose.
"If Annette Townshend was involved somehow... it had to have been after.”
"After?"
"Nearly ten years ago, an incident took place in this village. In order to conceal it, we rebuilt the village and recruited settlers, pretending as if nothing happened."
"You don’t have a list of those names?"
"No. The Turks weren't involved directly."
"So, were you involved in the incident, then?"
"I would rather not say."
I was sure they were totally involved.
"Tseng, sir, we're descending." Elena's voice caused us to look down again.
It was the village of Nibelheim. I thought that it resembled Doyle village. Of course, it was many times larger, but it also had a circular plaza with houses built all around. In the plaza was a dilapidated water tower. It was a small village consisting of just that. No. There was an out-of-place, imposing stone mansion. It's the building from the background of the group photo. Perhaps that was the Shin-Ra research facility. This and that Shin-Ra's research... the photo of the mummy I saw at Dr. Dake's... I felt like they were connected, somehow.
"Ah."
"Hmm?"
I recalled Tifa, who was born and raised in this village. She said when she visited two years ago, all the residents of the village were people she didn't know. The incident, the cover up, the settlers. I see. My mother must have been a settler.
The helicopter descended toward the water tower. The people who had heard the noise came out from their houses and looked up at the sky. I searched for my mother's face amongst them. I had thought that she probably wouldn't be there anymore so many times that I had even contemplated giving up on visiting Nibelheim, yet I still searched for her in earnest.
**
The villagers watched from a distance as Tseng, Kyrie and I got out of the helicopter. Nobody attempted to approach. At a glance, they looked like several families. I could also see small children. I thought I'd try to find faces from that group photo, but I couldn't remember any except for my mother’s and Gould Arde’s.
"Hello!" Kyrie called out to a little girl. The girl then hurriedly went into her house.
"Who are you!?" I heard a voice shout.
When I sought out the source of the voice, I noticed a man with a beard covering the lower half of his face was glaring at us. He was holding a large gun in his hand.
"Everyone inside. I'll take care of them." The villagers went back to their houses, as the man instructed them. "Well, then? Who are you?"
"Gould Arde!?" Kyrie wore a look of surprise.
Then, a surprised expression appeared on the man’s face as well. His face... I hadn’t recognized it at first because of the beard, but he was definitely Gould Arde.
"Hello, Mr. Gould Arde." Kyrie approached Gould Arde, and Tseng and I followed.
"Wait! You, with the long hair. You're with the Turks, aren’t you? Stay there. I don't want any trouble."
I looked back as I felt him stop behind us, Tseng motioned for us to go using the back of his hand.
-
Gould Arde guided us to a room in a building, which appeared to have been an inn. It was likely his private room, now. It was lacking in daily necessities, just like my room, but the walls were lined with guns and knives.
"I'm in charge of security here. We’ve got things like monsters… among other things. Problems arise from time to time." That seemed to be an excuse to me, seeing as I was looking at the dangerous tools on the wall.
"What kind of people live here?" Kyrie asked in a friendly manner.
"Well, folks who like it here. We all settled here without permission, so we feel a bit guilty. Everyone’s a bit wary, but once you get to know us, you’ll see we’re actually just normal people.. So, how come you know who I am?" While saying that, Gould Arde sat down in an easy chair in the corner of the room. There was nowhere for us to sit.
"We're investigators from the Mireille Detective Agency. We came here from Edge."
"Edge?"
"It's a new town built next to Midgar."
"Really? Well, I'd heard stories. So, that’s what it’s called, huh?"
"Mr. Gould Arde. We came looking for you at the request of your father."
Gould Arde listened to Kyrie, looking quite dumbfounded. "You’re talking about my father... as in Tyran Arde?”
"Yes."
"Tyran is looking for me? I don't get it."
"What do you mean?"
"My real father died in the Wutai war when I was a kid. Tyran's my mother's second husband. I've never thought of Tyran as my father. Wasn’t it the same for him? I only thought about how I could leave home, and eventually joined Shin-Ra..."
"As in, Soldier?"
"Yeah. I would’ve done anything to get out of the house. I didn't like that my mother started living with him against my wishes, either. I still had my ties with that home when mom was alive, but I thought I had severed them all after she passed away. What would that guy want with... oh, so he wants me to take care of him in his old age, does he?!"
"I didn't get that impression. He just seemed lonely." Kyrie was protecting her client.
"Hmph, I wonder about that.” Gould Arde was stubborn.
"I'm going to report this to Tyran Arde, is that okay with you?"
"Do what you like. It’s your job, right?" He turned his palms up to put an end to the matter.
"Let's go, Kyrie."
Kyrie stared at me in a criticizing manner. Then she shook her head. It seemed she had no intention of following me. "There's someone else we're looking for."
A specific feeling was rapidly welling up inside me. It was fear. In the next moment, I would discover whether my mother was dead or alive. For two years, there had been no contact. I was ready. But surely it would be considerably harder to hear it. It probably wouldn’t be comparable to that prick of pain I felt every time someone said that my mother was dead. I tensed up, in preparation for the shock.
"Annette Townshend." Kyrie said. "She’s Evan's mother."
Gould Arde looked at me, his mouth still half open. "Annette's ... son. You're Evan Townshend?"
"Yes."
"Then, is Nick Foley doing well?"
"Huh? No, he passed away."
"Well, I hadn’t heard from him ... so that’s what happened, then? On the day the lifestream surged, Nick... you know about that, right?"
"Yes."
"When it passed here, the lifestream caused considerable damage. People died, too. Nick tried contacting the company for instructions, but it seems they told him to handle it on his own. They probably had their hands full over there, but, well, that was pretty cruel." Gould Arde noisily scratched his beard.
"And that guy, oh, what a guy he was. He went back to Midgar to tell families about what happened to everyone here. On that worn-out motorcycle, you know? He must really have felt for them. Though it was his job, those folks were the ones who gathered the settlers. He was a real diligent, great guy. Listening to each person's circumstances, and attempting to make sure they were fully accommodated. Uhh, hmm?
Wait up, you folks know too, right? About what happened to Nick?"
"I’ve only ever met him once."
"Once? Well, then I guess you must’ve left a pretty strong impression on him."
"What do you mean?"
“He was legitimately worried that if he wasn't liked by you, Annette's son, he would have serious trouble being accepted by her. As far as I could see, it was the perfect example of unrequited love. Coming from a fully grown man, no less."
So Nick Foley did like my mother, after all. My instincts were right. But my mother didn't accept him. I’d misunderstood that part. I recalled the confidence-filled smile he had on his face when we first met. I wondered if that was the best smile he could muster. Nick Foley was nervous to meet me. He wanted to be seen as a man worthy of my mother, with a once-in-a-lifetime-shot smile. Suddenly, he seemed like a close friend.
"So, what about Annette?"
"Eh?" I didn't understand Gould Arde's question. Why was he asking me?
"Annette wasn't here for even a week. She left the village due to her work ... she hasn’t returned yet?"
"No."
"I see ..." Gould Arde looked at me with sad eyes.
"Evan's mother was one of the settlers, right?" Kyrie asked instead of me as I stayed quiet.
"Oh. You wouldn’t know about that, either, huh. Well, you can blame the contract for the fact that not even families were informed of anything. Nobody was informed that the settlement was here, and a huge reward was included as hush money, too."
"A huge reward, huh?"
"Annette had said she needed money. Half of the sum ought to have been paid up front."
I finally knew where the money in the ceiling came from.
"Err, Gould," Kyrie said. "Would we find out more if we asked the people here? About Evan's mother, that is."
"No, it would be pointless. Everyone that’s here now settled here after that day. Most of the settlers before... were killed by the lifestream."
"My mother had already left by then, right?"
"Yeah. Actually, back then, Shin-Ra were running experiments, and some of the victims of the research lived here. Annette was in charge of their care. Oh yeah, wait a minute." Gould Arde got up and went to the bedside table, and squatted down. There was a small safe under the table. He turned the dial on the safe with practiced precision, and opened the lid. Then, he took out a sealed letter, and checked the address. "A while after Meteor, this arrived from Annette. It was addressed to Nick, but... he was no longer around. You can have it."
I found myself unable to take the envelope that was being held out to me. It was because it felt like it might be her will. Gould Arde looked at me with curiosity. Kyrie reached out from beside me, and took it.
"I was only around Annette briefly, but she really was a good, kind person. I, too, pray she’s safe."
"Thank you."
"Perhaps, she may still be at Icicle Inn."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the letter. It was sent from Icicle Inn, wasn’t it?"
I looked at the envelope at his urging, and sure enough, it was written there in my mother's hand.
"Sorry I couldn’t help more."
"No."
Gould Arde spread open his hands again. It seemed this was the end. Surely there was nothing more I could find out about my mother. We were about to leave the room.
"Hey, you said Tyran seemed lonely, right?"
"That’s how it seemed," Kyrie responded. "Well... perhaps he felt the same way as Nick in the story you told us just now?"
"Oh?" Gould Arde furrowed his brow. I couldn't understand what Kyrie said, either.
"That if he wasn't accepted by you, he would never become a part of your family."
"My mother's already dead."
"Even so, you never gave up, right? You’ve continued to regret it, haven’t you?"
"...hmph." I could see the distress in his bearded face.
"This is Tyran's address. I'll leave it with you." Kyrie passed him a small, folded notebook, which she had apparently prepared. She must have expected this would happen. I was no match for her.
"Oh yeah, why the hell are you guys with those Turks? I’m not gonna say anything bad. Just put an end to it. They’re like ghosts from a past world." Gould Arde said, but his mind was elsewhere ... that's how it felt.
-
We went back to the helicopter, parked tightly next to the water tower. Tseng opened the door and greeted us.
"To Icicle Inn." Kyrie told them as soon as she boarded. Tseng looked at us in surprise. He seemed to be waiting for her to say more.
"Icicle Inn." I repeated it as well.
"Elena, fly." Tseng said, giving in.
"Evan, here." Kyrie held out my mother's letter, which she had got from Gould Arde.
I took it, and chucked it in my shoulder bag. "I'll read it later."
Suddenly feeling curious, I took out the group photo taken in Nibelheim, and stared at it. Kyrie peered at it next to me. Flipping it over, you could see the phone number of my house was written there. It wasn’t as if he had written the number unwillingly because he had been abandoned by his company. Nick Foley wanted to look for her with me. For Annette Townshend, the one we both loved.
Pixel
The Pixie King
I think we may have actually met Fabio in FFVII
Lateral Biography describes him as always wearing green, and he used to work for Corneo.
In the localisation, he's written as someone who is just trying to get rid of you, but looking at it, I wonder if he's meant to be more of a sympathetic character.
「いいか、ドンは男には興味ないんだ。
　さっさとどっかへ……」<End>
"Look, the Don ain't interested in guys. You'd better get..."
Original - Look, the Don's not into men. So don't let me catch you around here again...
「ね、どう？　うちのドンと
　楽しいひとときを
　すごしてみない？」<End>
"You what? You don't wanna come inside and have a good time with the Don?"
Original - Hey, and you got another cute one with you!
When you return to Wall Market later in the game, I think he apologizes, but I can't find the dialogue.
Lateral Biography describes him as always wearing green, and he used to work for Corneo.
In the localisation, he's written as someone who is just trying to get rid of you, but looking at it, I wonder if he's meant to be more of a sympathetic character.
「いいか、ドンは男には興味ないんだ。
　さっさとどっかへ……」<End>
"Look, the Don ain't interested in guys. You'd better get..."
Original - Look, the Don's not into men. So don't let me catch you around here again...
「ね、どう？　うちのドンと
　楽しいひとときを
　すごしてみない？」<End>
"You what? You don't wanna come inside and have a good time with the Don?"
Original - Hey, and you got another cute one with you!
When you return to Wall Market later in the game, I think he apologizes, but I can't find the dialogue.
The Twilight Mexican
Ex-SeeD-ingly good
- AKA
- TresDias
How nifty.
Pixel
The Pixie King
Yeah, we're 5 or 6 chapters off. Hopefully we can get it back on track soon.
If I can get the right people, I'll consider trying to get the audiobook version off the ground again. It all fell through because of casting, which is also what held Episode - Shinra up. I've been emailing some old contacts the last few days. Hopefully we can get something together. I need to finish the Episode - Tifa remaster too. Just havent had much time.
If I can get the right people, I'll consider trying to get the audiobook version off the ground again. It all fell through because of casting, which is also what held Episode - Shinra up. I've been emailing some old contacts the last few days. Hopefully we can get something together. I need to finish the Episode - Tifa remaster too. Just havent had much time.
Happy Little Lemon
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Sledged
I was kicking myself for starting to read this while the translation was incomplete. I'm so glad that my search for more chapters paid off - thanks so much to everyone involved!
malkasanfer
Stand Proud
- AKA
- Daro
Hi guys! I've just registered here today but I've been following your projects since 4 or 5 years. I want to thank you all for your hard work. I really apreciate what you're doing.
I think it's nice to have this kind of feedback to know that your effort is valued. Thank you again and please keep going on! =)
I think it's nice to have this kind of feedback to know that your effort is valued. Thank you again and please keep going on! =)
Pixel
The Pixie King
Pixel
The Pixie King
Does anyone know a better way to phrase this first sentence? Im sure theres an idiom that can loosen up the line, but I can't think of it. Its a bit literally translated, and I don't like the repeated use of the word 'place'.
"Most people and things are settling down in the right place. Things are falling into place."
"Most people and things are settling down in the right place. Things are falling into place."
S and G
FFVII books and stuff
- AKA
- MJ Gallagher
"Finding their feet" is the idiom you're after.
LicoriceAllsorts
Donator
"Things are falling into place. People are finding their feet."
Pixel
The Pixie King
Just another little preview. I'm just experimenting with my mic and how loud I have to speak to get the right tone. I ain't no voice actor. 
https://soundcloud.com/josephknight84/chapter-21-preview
https://soundcloud.com/josephknight84/chapter-21-preview
LicoriceAllsorts
Donator
pixel can I make a request? I have been prevented from listening to the On the Way to a Smile novella podcasts by the music; I just can't separate the music from the voices and so it's a real mental struggle for me to follow the story. This is a neurological processing thing for me, I don't think most people suffer from it. (Normally I can't really listen to music while doing anything with words, but for some weird reason listening to music-free talk radio while writing isn't a problem.) When you've finished this podcast, would it be possible to post a music-free version as well as one with music? Thanks!
Pixel
The Pixie King
40. Under Junon
Reno and Rude were bored. As instructed by the director, they took position at the beach house, waiting for their former colleagues to show up, but no one had arrived yet.
"I knew this would be impossible."
"What are you talking about?"
"Like, how could information about Jenova really be that easy to get a hold of?."
"Well, yeah."
"The Turks are all about finding things by flying around and scoping them out, right? ?"
"Yeah."
"You going?"
"Any idea what you’re doing?"
"Not at all."
"Hey."
With his eyes trained on the entrance of the village, Rude pointed his chin towards where two men were standing. They looked around with unease. It seemed they were searching for someone.
"Yooo!"
Reno raised his hand and called out towards them. One of the men―Doyle―took notice, and quickly approached the beach house.
"Reno, Rude. What are you doing here?"
"Before that, introduce us. Who's the tough guy over there?"
"I'm Leslie. I'm a friend of Evan and Kyrie's"
Rude eyed the left hand of the man who introduced himself as Leslie. His hands, covered with black leather gloves, reeked of violence. This guy looked like he might not be an amateur.
"What's the hurry, yo?"
"We're looking for Evan. Oh, we borrowed the truck that was in the square."
Doyle answered.
"We were told that he said he was going to Nibelheim." Leslie said, staring straight at Rude. "He would have needed to stop by here before crossing the sea. So, we thought that he could be...”"
"What’d you say about Evan?"
"If we leave him alone, he'll die."
"What's that?!"
"Isn’t it all because you hit him?"
Leslie fronted up to him, but Doyle gently held him back.
"What's... the hell."
"The day before Fabio died..." Doyle said. "He brought his little brother to the hospital. Apparently the doctor told him that he needed to examine Evan ASAP. So, he was going to try looking for Evan with the helicopter..."
"Where did you get that story from?"
"Fabio's little brother."
Doyle answered. Leslie glared at Reno and Rude in silence. Rude glared back, through his sunglasses.
"But, if that was the case, couldn’t he have just told us, plain and simple? Why throw a bomb!?"
"To Fabio, you lot were revenge for his parents."
Leslie said, accusingly. Reno could only stay silent.
"Let's go." Listening to the conversation, Rude stood up. "We’re going after Evan."
Reno and Rude were bored. As instructed by the director, they took position at the beach house, waiting for their former colleagues to show up, but no one had arrived yet.
"I knew this would be impossible."
"What are you talking about?"
"Like, how could information about Jenova really be that easy to get a hold of?."
"Well, yeah."
"The Turks are all about finding things by flying around and scoping them out, right? ?"
"Yeah."
"You going?"
"Any idea what you’re doing?"
"Not at all."
"Hey."
With his eyes trained on the entrance of the village, Rude pointed his chin towards where two men were standing. They looked around with unease. It seemed they were searching for someone.
"Yooo!"
Reno raised his hand and called out towards them. One of the men―Doyle―took notice, and quickly approached the beach house.
"Reno, Rude. What are you doing here?"
"Before that, introduce us. Who's the tough guy over there?"
"I'm Leslie. I'm a friend of Evan and Kyrie's"
Rude eyed the left hand of the man who introduced himself as Leslie. His hands, covered with black leather gloves, reeked of violence. This guy looked like he might not be an amateur.
"What's the hurry, yo?"
"We're looking for Evan. Oh, we borrowed the truck that was in the square."
Doyle answered.
"We were told that he said he was going to Nibelheim." Leslie said, staring straight at Rude. "He would have needed to stop by here before crossing the sea. So, we thought that he could be...”"
"What’d you say about Evan?"
"If we leave him alone, he'll die."
"What's that?!"
"Isn’t it all because you hit him?"
Leslie fronted up to him, but Doyle gently held him back.
"What's... the hell."
"The day before Fabio died..." Doyle said. "He brought his little brother to the hospital. Apparently the doctor told him that he needed to examine Evan ASAP. So, he was going to try looking for Evan with the helicopter..."
"Where did you get that story from?"
"Fabio's little brother."
Doyle answered. Leslie glared at Reno and Rude in silence. Rude glared back, through his sunglasses.
"But, if that was the case, couldn’t he have just told us, plain and simple? Why throw a bomb!?"
"To Fabio, you lot were revenge for his parents."
Leslie said, accusingly. Reno could only stay silent.
"Let's go." Listening to the conversation, Rude stood up. "We’re going after Evan."
Pixel
The Pixie King
41. Icicle Inn And Mother's Letter
Icicle Inn was a snow-covered village far to the north. On the way down the slope to the village, we were freezing. I was wearing my leather jacket so I still fared decently, but Kyrie was in shorts and a sleeveless jacket.
"I wish they’d taken us down closer."
Kyrie said, with her teeth chattering. Tseng had landed the helicopter in an area about 15 minutes away and was on standby. Perhaps it was a measure to avoid unnecessary problems. He ended up handing me a cellphone so we could contact each other in a timely manner.
"Woah!"
Walking down the left side of the snow-covered road, Kyrie lost her footing, and almost fell. She quickly grabbed onto my left arm.
"Sorry! Did that hurt?"
As usual, there was no pain. Just to be safe, I asked for a light medicine, and took a dose of it. Tseng had a case containing many kinds of drugs, which seemed to serve a wide range of purposes. He told me there was medicine to knock me out if the pain was to much to bear. I didn't want that.
"Come walk on this side."
Kyrie went around to my right, and clung to my arm.
"You always walk in front of me, Kyrie."
"Yeah. Because you said I looked cute from behind. So I usually walk fast."
This came as somewhat of a shock. It wasn't that I was falling behind. I couldn't help but laugh.
"That's good. You laughed, Evan."
"Huh?"
"You’ve looked so serious since we left Nibelheim."
“Is that so?”
Well, of course. I could have been on the verge of finding my mother.
Before long, the slope came to an end, and several log houses came into view.
"Look... that must be the inn Tseng told us about."
We headed for the building with the small sign marked Icicle Inn.
-
The inside of the building was heated and it almost felt hot. There was a small reception counter right in front of the entrance, and guest rooms through to the right of the counter. On the left, there was a dining room, about the size of Tifa's 7th Heaven, where three groups of visitors were chatting. There was a stand off in the corner of the dining room, where warm coats and bulky jackets were being sold.
"I'm gonna check out the stand, you try and get some info, Evan."
Staring into my eyes, Kyrie nodded. I nodded back and headed to reception counter up front. The middle-aged woman forced a smile at me.
"Welcome to Icicle Inn. Do we have have a reservation from you?"
"No, actually, there was something I'd like to ask."
The smile on her face faded a little.
"I was wondering, do you know someone named Annette Townshend? She had to have come here 2 years ago―to this village"
The woman looked down, and seemed to be thinking of something. When she finally looked up, she hadthat same fake smile again.
"My sincerest apologies. I only came here recently. But I believe the hostess would know."
"Could I meet with the hostess?"
"Unfortunately, she's off today... If you're here tomorrow, you could probably see her..."
"I see..."
"May I suggest you stay here? I'll give you a discount."
"...Well, okay then."
"Thank you very much."
I went through the check-in procedure as per her instructions and paid the fee. When I went to the stand and explained the situation to Kyrie, she looked at me dubiously.
"Bad idea?"
"No, that’s not it, but..." Kyrie glanced over at the woman at the counter. "Why don’t we just go to the room for now?"
I felt awkward. I should have asked Kyrie's opinion first. We headed down the hallway at the side of the reception, towards room 3 as directed. We stood in front of the door marked '3'.
"Wonder if there other room is available. I'll just go ask real quick."
"It's fine. Let’s think about it if it’s cramped inside.”
Kyrie snatched the key from me, noisily unlocked the door, and quickly entered the room. I followed behind her. The room was about the same size as my beloved home, but most of this one was taken up by the large bed. I wasn’t able to tell if this place was small or large. I left t to Kyrie to decide. Kyrie immediately jumped on the bed, fully stretching out her arms and legs.
"Mmmm! Feels good!"
I averted my gaze from her amazing, now exposed legs, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Kyrie propped up her body with her elbows, and looked towards me.
"Hey Evan. Where do you think the landlady of the inn lives? I mean, there’s nowhere else anyone could live around here, right?"
It occurred to me that she was right.
"So, we didn't need to rent a room?"
"You betcha. That woman is pretty good at this."
"I feel embarrassed."
"It’s okay, it’s okay. This bed is comfortable, and hey, there's a shower too!"
"Yeah."
"Well, wanna relax for the day?"
"Sure."
"Don't feel too bad. That woman was a cut above them. That's all."
As Kyrie said that, she got off the bed.
"I'll contact Tseng. Also, I’m doing some shopping. I want a warm jacket. Then, I’m going to have some tea in the dining room, so in the meantime..."
Ah, yes.. I had to read my mother's letter that I got from Gould Arde.
"Got it."
"Should we go together, instead?"
"No, it’s fine."
"Alright, come call me when you’re done."
"Yeah."
Kyrie stepped lightly―probably as lightly as she could and she left the room. Now that I was alone, I thought if I simply took a breather now, I’d put it off again, so I took out the envelope from my bag. I carefully tore off the firmly glued lip, and opened it. When I shook the envelope upside down, two or three pieces of folded paper and small scrap of paper fell out. I began by picking up the small piece of paper and looking at it. It was my dear mother’s handwriting. The beginning of the note was marked, "To Nick Foley".
[I'm sending you this contract, because it seems my stay here will end up being extended. If something happens to me, please arrange for the money left over to be securely transferred to Evan. An advance payment is located at the specified location in my home. Also, thank you in advance for taking care of the surgery. Evan doesn't know anything, so be careful not to scare him. The doctor in question is a medical officer from Junon, named Dr. Dimitry. I really appreciate your assistance in this matter.]
I set down the note that was in my trembling hands, and took a look through what she called the contract. It was littered with difficult words, but in summary, it said that she would be living as a Nibelheim resident for one year, and stated that she get the money if she promised to keep quiet about it. The amount of money listed at the end exceeded what was normal. . Then, my eyes became fixated on the words written above my mother's signature.
[I agree to not reveal any information obtained in my place of work, or the contents of this agreement. If a breach of contract is proved, I pledge to recompense with my life, signed]
Straight away, I went to the washroom to wash my face and calm down. It was of no use. According to my mother's note, I seemed I had no choice but to have an operation. And, in order to cover the cost, my mother was told to do something as ridiculous as taking a job where she had to live in Nibelheim for one year, as well as put her life on the line, yet, she signed that menacing document. It was all for me. My knees trembled.
-
"They say this kid's pretty dumb in the head, too. I heard his mother collapsed after hearing that."
"Shh. Don’t talk about these things in front of the patient."
-
I went back to the bed and sat down.
"Evan?" It was Kyrie's worried voice. "I waited, but you never came..."
As I looked up, there was Kyrie with a red down jacket, which she seemed to have bought at the stand. She approached me with an expression of surprise. She placed the jacket on the bed, timidly reached out, and hugged me.
"Don't cry. I’m here for you."
Oh, was I crying again?
I wondered how long Kyrie had been hugging me. Outside the window it appeared faintly bright because of the snow. But I realised that night had already fallen. There was a sound of knocking.
"Yes."
Kyrie got up and responded. I heard a hoarse voice from the other side of the door.
"Wait a minute, please." Kyrie came back and asks me. "The landlady's here, she said you wanted to talk to her."
"Yeah."
"Alright, I'll have her come in then."
When Kyrie faced the doorway and called for her, a grey haired old lady, with a hunched back, entered.
"Hello, my guests. I am the landlady, Windey. I heard that you wanted to know something about Annette Townshend..."
"Yes. I'm her son, Evan."
"Oh my, her son!"
Said the landlady as she came to the bed with surprising speed, and suddenly took my hands.
"My my, good on you for coming all this way I am quite impressed you made it all the way to a place like this. , You are certainly a son to be proud of."
Really, I was anything but.
"So, the operation go well?"
"No..."
I looked at Kyrie's as I replied. Everything that was important was revealed to Kyrie through someone else's words. I saw her mouthing the word, "operation?" I nodded silently.
"Could you tell me about my mother?"
"Of course..." The landlady approached the window, sat down in a chair, and looked outside. "But I only know of the time when Annette was here in this village."
"That’s fine."
"Back then, two years ago, it was quite the troubled time for these parts..."
**
Tseng and Elena were in the freezing helicopter. They were wrapped up in blankets, listening to the voices coming from the speakers. The wiretap was in Evan's bag. The proprietress of the inn spoke about 2 years ago, when Tseng was on the verge of death at the hospital in Junon. It was around the time when Elena believed that the boss she had looked up to had been killed, and came in pursuit of the culprits, Cloud and his companions ― although it would end up being a misunderstanding. The two of them listened to the old woman's story, as they looked back into their own pasts.
"There's snowfield that spreads out to the north of this village, which should have been full of people enjoying skiing and snowboarding, but back then, creepy people would gather there in great numbers from somewhere... people who muttered to themselves as they donned black, hooded clothes."
"Hojo's research subjects."
Tseng muttered.
"Jenova cells, right?"
"He was said to have used Sephiroth's cells, as well."
In the Shin-Ra Company, various experiments were conducted using cells from Jenova, known as the calamity from the skies. In many cases, it consisted of the dangerous practice of putting cells and tissue into the human body. Moreover, the company hadn’t grasped all of the implications. The details of the experiments were lost along with Prof. Hojo, who had conducted them at his own discretion. Therefore, there was no way for the landlady to know the nature of the experiments these victims had been subjected to. However, the phenomenon she observed wherein those directly or indirectly infused with Jenova cells, made their way to the large crater to the North as if in response to something had been known to some of those who were involved as the "Reunion".
**
"Your mother said she was in charge of taking care of the people in black. So she was obliged to bring everyone back, it seemed. She would have to arrange vehicles and the like by herself, and it seemed to have put her through a lot of stress. But, this was all after they began heading even further north. In the end, she gave up and returned home. But after about two months, she came back again. She had to finish her job, she said. I tried stopping her by telling her she wouldn’t find anybody anymore, but she went anyway. Then after that..."
"She never came back, did she?"
"Right."
「
"What is there to the North?"
「
"At the time, there was just a snowfield, and a wall of ice beyond that. I heard if you climbed over the wall, there was a gaping hole that seemed to lead into the depths of the Planet, but I’ve never seen it myself, so there’s nothing I can say about it."
I imagined the gaping hole on the other side of the ice wall. A hole leading down into the abyss. I wonder if my mother fell in there. No, impossible. My mother would never have been able to scale a wall of ice like that.
"Is it possible to go there?"
"When the lifestream erupted two years ago, crevasses opened all over. You know what crevasses are? They are rifts in the ground. There are some concealed under piles of snow, too. They’re practically pitfalls. It’s all very dangerous you see, so I would not recommend it. Although, it is a different story if you could go by air."
* *
Noises were starting to get mixed with the voices coming from Evan's end as they came through the speakers, and the transmission began cutting out.
"I wonder if Evan intends on going?" Elena said, turning the gain adjustment dial on the receiver. "The weather's starting to get rough."
Then, the sound cut off altogether.
* *
"I wonder if it’s all true, yo."
Reno glared at the former Soldier 2nd Class who identified himself as Gould Arde.
"There's no reason to lie."
"You..."
Reno reached out to grab the man’s lapels, but Rude held him back.
"Reno, we’re leaving." Rude turned around, and re-boarded the helicopter.
"Hey, w-! Partner!"
Reno rushed after him. Just as he boarded the helicopter, the rotors on the idling craft began picking up speed. Sand and dust blew around and the residents who looked on from a distance, grimaced and turned away.
"Yo, Rude."
Rude ignored him and took of anyway.
「見ろ」
"Look."
As prompted, he looked down at the ground, and saw that next to the water tower, there was evidence that another helicopter had land there.
"I think they came by here after all."
"What are you talking about?"
Doyle butted in from the back seat.
"It’s all ‘cause people hate us."
Reno sighed, picked up the radio, and called Tseng's helicopter. But there was no answer.
"Why aren’t they answerin’, yo?"
* *
Tseng and Elena were in room 4 in Icicle Inn.
"We’ll be able to hear from here." Elena said, placing the receiver of the listening device on the small table. In the next room were now just Evan and Kyrie.
"Why don’t we go back to Junon? We have to find Dr. Dimitry. We can leave searching for your Mom for after you get well, don’t you think?"
"Yeah. Let me think about this."
The conversation in the next room could be heard with clarity.
"Tseng, do you know of a doctor in Junon called Dimitri?"
"Indeed. You met him several times, too. In Under Junon."
"Would you happen to mean Dr. Eugene?"
"Yes. Eugene Dimitri."
Icicle Inn was a snow-covered village far to the north. On the way down the slope to the village, we were freezing. I was wearing my leather jacket so I still fared decently, but Kyrie was in shorts and a sleeveless jacket.
"I wish they’d taken us down closer."
Kyrie said, with her teeth chattering. Tseng had landed the helicopter in an area about 15 minutes away and was on standby. Perhaps it was a measure to avoid unnecessary problems. He ended up handing me a cellphone so we could contact each other in a timely manner.
"Woah!"
Walking down the left side of the snow-covered road, Kyrie lost her footing, and almost fell. She quickly grabbed onto my left arm.
"Sorry! Did that hurt?"
As usual, there was no pain. Just to be safe, I asked for a light medicine, and took a dose of it. Tseng had a case containing many kinds of drugs, which seemed to serve a wide range of purposes. He told me there was medicine to knock me out if the pain was to much to bear. I didn't want that.
"Come walk on this side."
Kyrie went around to my right, and clung to my arm.
"You always walk in front of me, Kyrie."
"Yeah. Because you said I looked cute from behind. So I usually walk fast."
This came as somewhat of a shock. It wasn't that I was falling behind. I couldn't help but laugh.
"That's good. You laughed, Evan."
"Huh?"
"You’ve looked so serious since we left Nibelheim."
“Is that so?”
Well, of course. I could have been on the verge of finding my mother.
Before long, the slope came to an end, and several log houses came into view.
"Look... that must be the inn Tseng told us about."
We headed for the building with the small sign marked Icicle Inn.
-
The inside of the building was heated and it almost felt hot. There was a small reception counter right in front of the entrance, and guest rooms through to the right of the counter. On the left, there was a dining room, about the size of Tifa's 7th Heaven, where three groups of visitors were chatting. There was a stand off in the corner of the dining room, where warm coats and bulky jackets were being sold.
"I'm gonna check out the stand, you try and get some info, Evan."
Staring into my eyes, Kyrie nodded. I nodded back and headed to reception counter up front. The middle-aged woman forced a smile at me.
"Welcome to Icicle Inn. Do we have have a reservation from you?"
"No, actually, there was something I'd like to ask."
The smile on her face faded a little.
"I was wondering, do you know someone named Annette Townshend? She had to have come here 2 years ago―to this village"
The woman looked down, and seemed to be thinking of something. When she finally looked up, she hadthat same fake smile again.
"My sincerest apologies. I only came here recently. But I believe the hostess would know."
"Could I meet with the hostess?"
"Unfortunately, she's off today... If you're here tomorrow, you could probably see her..."
"I see..."
"May I suggest you stay here? I'll give you a discount."
"...Well, okay then."
"Thank you very much."
I went through the check-in procedure as per her instructions and paid the fee. When I went to the stand and explained the situation to Kyrie, she looked at me dubiously.
"Bad idea?"
"No, that’s not it, but..." Kyrie glanced over at the woman at the counter. "Why don’t we just go to the room for now?"
I felt awkward. I should have asked Kyrie's opinion first. We headed down the hallway at the side of the reception, towards room 3 as directed. We stood in front of the door marked '3'.
"Wonder if there other room is available. I'll just go ask real quick."
"It's fine. Let’s think about it if it’s cramped inside.”
Kyrie snatched the key from me, noisily unlocked the door, and quickly entered the room. I followed behind her. The room was about the same size as my beloved home, but most of this one was taken up by the large bed. I wasn’t able to tell if this place was small or large. I left t to Kyrie to decide. Kyrie immediately jumped on the bed, fully stretching out her arms and legs.
"Mmmm! Feels good!"
I averted my gaze from her amazing, now exposed legs, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Kyrie propped up her body with her elbows, and looked towards me.
"Hey Evan. Where do you think the landlady of the inn lives? I mean, there’s nowhere else anyone could live around here, right?"
It occurred to me that she was right.
"So, we didn't need to rent a room?"
"You betcha. That woman is pretty good at this."
"I feel embarrassed."
"It’s okay, it’s okay. This bed is comfortable, and hey, there's a shower too!"
"Yeah."
"Well, wanna relax for the day?"
"Sure."
"Don't feel too bad. That woman was a cut above them. That's all."
As Kyrie said that, she got off the bed.
"I'll contact Tseng. Also, I’m doing some shopping. I want a warm jacket. Then, I’m going to have some tea in the dining room, so in the meantime..."
Ah, yes.. I had to read my mother's letter that I got from Gould Arde.
"Got it."
"Should we go together, instead?"
"No, it’s fine."
"Alright, come call me when you’re done."
"Yeah."
Kyrie stepped lightly―probably as lightly as she could and she left the room. Now that I was alone, I thought if I simply took a breather now, I’d put it off again, so I took out the envelope from my bag. I carefully tore off the firmly glued lip, and opened it. When I shook the envelope upside down, two or three pieces of folded paper and small scrap of paper fell out. I began by picking up the small piece of paper and looking at it. It was my dear mother’s handwriting. The beginning of the note was marked, "To Nick Foley".
[I'm sending you this contract, because it seems my stay here will end up being extended. If something happens to me, please arrange for the money left over to be securely transferred to Evan. An advance payment is located at the specified location in my home. Also, thank you in advance for taking care of the surgery. Evan doesn't know anything, so be careful not to scare him. The doctor in question is a medical officer from Junon, named Dr. Dimitry. I really appreciate your assistance in this matter.]
I set down the note that was in my trembling hands, and took a look through what she called the contract. It was littered with difficult words, but in summary, it said that she would be living as a Nibelheim resident for one year, and stated that she get the money if she promised to keep quiet about it. The amount of money listed at the end exceeded what was normal. . Then, my eyes became fixated on the words written above my mother's signature.
[I agree to not reveal any information obtained in my place of work, or the contents of this agreement. If a breach of contract is proved, I pledge to recompense with my life, signed]
Straight away, I went to the washroom to wash my face and calm down. It was of no use. According to my mother's note, I seemed I had no choice but to have an operation. And, in order to cover the cost, my mother was told to do something as ridiculous as taking a job where she had to live in Nibelheim for one year, as well as put her life on the line, yet, she signed that menacing document. It was all for me. My knees trembled.
-
"They say this kid's pretty dumb in the head, too. I heard his mother collapsed after hearing that."
"Shh. Don’t talk about these things in front of the patient."
-
I went back to the bed and sat down.
"Evan?" It was Kyrie's worried voice. "I waited, but you never came..."
As I looked up, there was Kyrie with a red down jacket, which she seemed to have bought at the stand. She approached me with an expression of surprise. She placed the jacket on the bed, timidly reached out, and hugged me.
"Don't cry. I’m here for you."
Oh, was I crying again?
I wondered how long Kyrie had been hugging me. Outside the window it appeared faintly bright because of the snow. But I realised that night had already fallen. There was a sound of knocking.
"Yes."
Kyrie got up and responded. I heard a hoarse voice from the other side of the door.
"Wait a minute, please." Kyrie came back and asks me. "The landlady's here, she said you wanted to talk to her."
"Yeah."
"Alright, I'll have her come in then."
When Kyrie faced the doorway and called for her, a grey haired old lady, with a hunched back, entered.
"Hello, my guests. I am the landlady, Windey. I heard that you wanted to know something about Annette Townshend..."
"Yes. I'm her son, Evan."
"Oh my, her son!"
Said the landlady as she came to the bed with surprising speed, and suddenly took my hands.
"My my, good on you for coming all this way I am quite impressed you made it all the way to a place like this. , You are certainly a son to be proud of."
Really, I was anything but.
"So, the operation go well?"
"No..."
I looked at Kyrie's as I replied. Everything that was important was revealed to Kyrie through someone else's words. I saw her mouthing the word, "operation?" I nodded silently.
"Could you tell me about my mother?"
"Of course..." The landlady approached the window, sat down in a chair, and looked outside. "But I only know of the time when Annette was here in this village."
"That’s fine."
"Back then, two years ago, it was quite the troubled time for these parts..."
**
Tseng and Elena were in the freezing helicopter. They were wrapped up in blankets, listening to the voices coming from the speakers. The wiretap was in Evan's bag. The proprietress of the inn spoke about 2 years ago, when Tseng was on the verge of death at the hospital in Junon. It was around the time when Elena believed that the boss she had looked up to had been killed, and came in pursuit of the culprits, Cloud and his companions ― although it would end up being a misunderstanding. The two of them listened to the old woman's story, as they looked back into their own pasts.
"There's snowfield that spreads out to the north of this village, which should have been full of people enjoying skiing and snowboarding, but back then, creepy people would gather there in great numbers from somewhere... people who muttered to themselves as they donned black, hooded clothes."
"Hojo's research subjects."
Tseng muttered.
"Jenova cells, right?"
"He was said to have used Sephiroth's cells, as well."
In the Shin-Ra Company, various experiments were conducted using cells from Jenova, known as the calamity from the skies. In many cases, it consisted of the dangerous practice of putting cells and tissue into the human body. Moreover, the company hadn’t grasped all of the implications. The details of the experiments were lost along with Prof. Hojo, who had conducted them at his own discretion. Therefore, there was no way for the landlady to know the nature of the experiments these victims had been subjected to. However, the phenomenon she observed wherein those directly or indirectly infused with Jenova cells, made their way to the large crater to the North as if in response to something had been known to some of those who were involved as the "Reunion".
**
"Your mother said she was in charge of taking care of the people in black. So she was obliged to bring everyone back, it seemed. She would have to arrange vehicles and the like by herself, and it seemed to have put her through a lot of stress. But, this was all after they began heading even further north. In the end, she gave up and returned home. But after about two months, she came back again. She had to finish her job, she said. I tried stopping her by telling her she wouldn’t find anybody anymore, but she went anyway. Then after that..."
"She never came back, did she?"
"Right."
「
"What is there to the North?"
「
"At the time, there was just a snowfield, and a wall of ice beyond that. I heard if you climbed over the wall, there was a gaping hole that seemed to lead into the depths of the Planet, but I’ve never seen it myself, so there’s nothing I can say about it."
I imagined the gaping hole on the other side of the ice wall. A hole leading down into the abyss. I wonder if my mother fell in there. No, impossible. My mother would never have been able to scale a wall of ice like that.
"Is it possible to go there?"
"When the lifestream erupted two years ago, crevasses opened all over. You know what crevasses are? They are rifts in the ground. There are some concealed under piles of snow, too. They’re practically pitfalls. It’s all very dangerous you see, so I would not recommend it. Although, it is a different story if you could go by air."
* *
Noises were starting to get mixed with the voices coming from Evan's end as they came through the speakers, and the transmission began cutting out.
"I wonder if Evan intends on going?" Elena said, turning the gain adjustment dial on the receiver. "The weather's starting to get rough."
Then, the sound cut off altogether.
* *
"I wonder if it’s all true, yo."
Reno glared at the former Soldier 2nd Class who identified himself as Gould Arde.
"There's no reason to lie."
"You..."
Reno reached out to grab the man’s lapels, but Rude held him back.
"Reno, we’re leaving." Rude turned around, and re-boarded the helicopter.
"Hey, w-! Partner!"
Reno rushed after him. Just as he boarded the helicopter, the rotors on the idling craft began picking up speed. Sand and dust blew around and the residents who looked on from a distance, grimaced and turned away.
"Yo, Rude."
Rude ignored him and took of anyway.
「見ろ」
"Look."
As prompted, he looked down at the ground, and saw that next to the water tower, there was evidence that another helicopter had land there.
"I think they came by here after all."
"What are you talking about?"
Doyle butted in from the back seat.
"It’s all ‘cause people hate us."
Reno sighed, picked up the radio, and called Tseng's helicopter. But there was no answer.
"Why aren’t they answerin’, yo?"
* *
Tseng and Elena were in room 4 in Icicle Inn.
"We’ll be able to hear from here." Elena said, placing the receiver of the listening device on the small table. In the next room were now just Evan and Kyrie.
"Why don’t we go back to Junon? We have to find Dr. Dimitry. We can leave searching for your Mom for after you get well, don’t you think?"
"Yeah. Let me think about this."
The conversation in the next room could be heard with clarity.
"Tseng, do you know of a doctor in Junon called Dimitri?"
"Indeed. You met him several times, too. In Under Junon."
"Would you happen to mean Dr. Eugene?"
"Yes. Eugene Dimitri."
Pixel
The Pixie King
42. Fabio
I could hear the sound of Kyrie taking a shower. Steam leaking from the bathroom filled the room, fogging up the windows. I lay face up on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. Mixed with the sound of the hot water, I heard humming. It was the tune from the Costa Del Sol commercial. It was getting on my nerves that Kyrie was acting peppy in order to cheer me up. Getting on your nerves? Evan. Evan Townshend. You're the worst. You should hurry up and do what you have to do. Deal with your problem, and take Kyrie to Costa Del Sol. Give her back her life . But, how? I mean, where do I start?
* *
"Tseng, sir, try to get some sleep while you still can. I'll keep an eye on them. They're not going anywhere in the middle of the night, especially in this snowstorm.”
"No, I’ll go talk to them. You rest first."
"It’s embarrassing for you to have to see me sleeping, Tseng!"
Tseng approached the window, ignoring the words of his subordinate. The windowpane was clouded. He casually wiped it by hand, and looked outside. Just outside the window, was a young man. Tseng let out a gasp. A silver-haired boy fixed his gaze on Tseng, and smiled. The boy put his index finger to his lips, and calmly ordered him to stay quiet.
"Elena, I'm going out for a bit. Wait for my orders."
"Where are you going?"
"To check the helicopter."
Even he didn't know why he had lied.
* *
At first, I thought it was the sound of the wind. Before long, I realised that someone was knocking on the window from outside. Maybe it was Tseng or Elena. The Turks were the only people who I knew would even attempt to knock on a window in the middle of the night during a snowstorm. I went to the window and looked out, wiping the clouded glass with my hand. It was Fabio. I yelped, and took a step away from the window. Then, the window opened, and Fabio peeked his face in.
"Fabio!?"
"Hey, Evan. Can we right now?"
Fabio slid his glasses down, and looked at me with upturned eyes. Was this something Fabio would do?
"Come out, Evan. I've got something to tell you. If you don't come out, I’m gonna kill Kyrie."
That's it. This guy was not Fabio. He looked like Fabio, but he wasn’t Fabio. So, who was it? No, what was it? A chill ran through my whole body, and I started to shake.
"Evan, is someone there?"
Kyrie shouted from the bathroom.
"Wait there. I'll be right out."
I responded out the window, and closed it. I couldn’t stop shaking.
"I’m gonna kill Kyrie."
I felt like I could hear the voice again. I felt that if I just stayed here, his words would become reality. I put on the bomber jacket for warmth, and then the two jackets with the bright, red feathers that Kyrie bought from the stand. I took out Rufus' pistol from the bag. I hesitated briefly, but shoved it inside Kyrie's backpack. I looked for anything else that could have been used as a weapon, but there was nothing. As I prepared myself and opened the door to the room, Kyrie peeked her face out of the bathroom.
"Evan?"
"Just going to buy a drink."
"Get one for me, too!"
I acknowledged her request and left the room. As I walked down the hallway, I thought about the guy waiting for me outside. I probably had no chance against him. It would be the same whether I had a gun or not. I saw absolutely no way out of this, but wondered if I had any other options aside from getting that guy away from Kyrie.
* *
Tseng moved along the wall of the inn, and peered at where the silver haired boy was. Snow had fallen thick at the back of the inn. He couldn't see anyone there, not even footprints.
* *
Elena shoved the receiver for the wiretapping into her pocket, and ran out of the room. She didn't see any sign of Evan, who had just come out of the next room. She cautiously proceeded toward the reception counter. Elena had a hunch that the unpleasant goosebump-like sensation on the surface of her skin was not being caused by the cold.
* *
"Over here."
Directed by the voice, I walked to the back of the village. Because of the strong wind, snow was blowing right at me. The piles of snow also seemed to be getting whisked up from around me, making it hard to see anything.
"There's a guard's hut. It’s just a little further."
The voice sounded pretty close. I tried to see where he was, but he seemed to be upwind, so the snow would hit me straight in the face.
"Look, over there."
Looking ahead of me, there was indeed a small building. It was a log hut, just like the other buildings in the village. I could make out the silhouette of a person dressed from head to toe in green standing in front of the hut, and opening the door. I followed, losing my footing in the snow. Then, I went inside.
"Come on, close the door."
"No..."
No matter what happened, I wanted to make sure I had an escape route. As I looked for a reason not to close the door, it shut on its own. Did the door close on its own? Immediately, my legs began to shake.
"Evan. I have something I want you to look at."
"I want to ask you something, too."
I said it in a hoarse, trembling voice, but somehow I managed to say it.
"I’m going first. I'm in a hurry."
In this pitch black room, I could see just the person who stood before me, who was glowing dimly.. There must have been something wrong with my eyes or my brain. I had a disease in my head so severe that it required surgery. It wouldn’t be strange for it to have affected my vision, as well.
"So, where is this from?"
The person who looked like Fabio had shoved a weird photo in front of me. I had seen it at Dr. Drake's. It was a picture of...
"Yes, Jenova. I asked Dr. Drake, but he said he doesn't know where it was, either."
"I wouldn’t know where to find it either. I just saw the photo at the doctor's..."
I noticed that photo was quite dirty. It had a few black smudges... No, brown, blood, probably.
"Is that blood?"
"Yes, Dr. Drake's blood. I saw in the doctor's consciousness that Jenova was high up in the Shin-Ra building, so I tried going to the building. But it wasn't there. I thought that I had been deceived..."
"What the hell are you saying?" No, that was a bad way of putting it. "Who are you?"
"I wonder. Even I don't know. Would you happen to know?"
In the darkness, he stretched out his hand and touched my left arm.
"...it appears that you don't."
For a moment, before my eyes, Fabio was suddenly a slender, silver haired boy. But in the next moment, the grey haired Dr. Drake appeared. He stuck out his tongue as if to mock me.
"And here I was so pleased at the thought that you knew about Jenova. Who would have thought that you had only seen the photo. The doctor had only seen the photo, too. Who is the one who knows where the real one is?"
"I don't know anything."
"I even went through all that trouble to heal your shoulder. You sure are worthless."
Just as I thought blood was spurting out of Dr. Drake's mouth, his figure began to blur. What stood before me was a monster. A monster who took the form of people who would elicit a reaction from me. The monster now took the form of my mother.
"Stop."
"Evan, you know that it’s all thanks to me that your shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, right? But, that's all over now."
As the monster in the form of my mother, moved it's hand away, severe pain shot through my whole body. I screamed out as I was assaulted by the dizzying pain.
* *
As he passed in front of the hut, he heard a scream cut through the wind. Tseng pointed the gun he had been grasping, and opened the door of the hut. It was pitch black inside. Goosebumps rose all over his body as he sensed someone dangerous lurking. Tseng knew this feeling. It was something one felt when death drew near.
"Evan?"
Tseng withstood the chills, and stepped into the darkness. He knew that Evan was lying on the floor. As he squatted down to see if he was alive or dead, he was grabbed by the neck from behind.
"You..." He heard the voice of the boy behind him. "You thought Evan could lead you to Jenova, didn’t you?"
Tseng tried to turn his head, but the force that held his neck in place was no ordinary one.
"Why is that? Evan doesn't know anything."
Tseng focused his mind, trying not to think of anything. Something began to flow into his neck and then he felt an unpleasant sensation of something being drawn out from him.
"What? You think that I'm Jenova? You’ve got it wrong. Jenova is my mother. I'm looking for my mother, you see"
The monster behind him was reading his consciousness. He had to avoid giving him any more information. But Tseng couldn't help but remember the man who once called Jenova his mother.
"Sephiroth? Oh, I know that name. Vaguely... I felt him in the lifestream... there’s something nasty about that guy."
"It hurts..." Evan let out a groan. "Tseng, the medicine. Painkillers..."
"I don’t believe this! So, nobody knows anything?!"
As the monster yelled, the binds on his neck disappeared. Tseng slumped forward, and collapsed on top of Evan. Evan's screams rang in his ears.
* *
Elena followed the nearly faded footsteps leading away from the inn, and arrived at the hut to find Tseng and Evan.
"Tseng!"
"I'm alright. Give Evan some medicine."
"Got it."
Elena crouched down and took out a gas-filled syringe from the holster on her belt, and pressed it against Evan's neck, eliciting a response as the highly concentrated potion was injected into his body.
"What happened?"
"There's a monster here. A monster displaying the characteristics of Jenova."
I could hear the sound of Kyrie taking a shower. Steam leaking from the bathroom filled the room, fogging up the windows. I lay face up on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. Mixed with the sound of the hot water, I heard humming. It was the tune from the Costa Del Sol commercial. It was getting on my nerves that Kyrie was acting peppy in order to cheer me up. Getting on your nerves? Evan. Evan Townshend. You're the worst. You should hurry up and do what you have to do. Deal with your problem, and take Kyrie to Costa Del Sol. Give her back her life . But, how? I mean, where do I start?
* *
"Tseng, sir, try to get some sleep while you still can. I'll keep an eye on them. They're not going anywhere in the middle of the night, especially in this snowstorm.”
"No, I’ll go talk to them. You rest first."
"It’s embarrassing for you to have to see me sleeping, Tseng!"
Tseng approached the window, ignoring the words of his subordinate. The windowpane was clouded. He casually wiped it by hand, and looked outside. Just outside the window, was a young man. Tseng let out a gasp. A silver-haired boy fixed his gaze on Tseng, and smiled. The boy put his index finger to his lips, and calmly ordered him to stay quiet.
"Elena, I'm going out for a bit. Wait for my orders."
"Where are you going?"
"To check the helicopter."
Even he didn't know why he had lied.
* *
At first, I thought it was the sound of the wind. Before long, I realised that someone was knocking on the window from outside. Maybe it was Tseng or Elena. The Turks were the only people who I knew would even attempt to knock on a window in the middle of the night during a snowstorm. I went to the window and looked out, wiping the clouded glass with my hand. It was Fabio. I yelped, and took a step away from the window. Then, the window opened, and Fabio peeked his face in.
"Fabio!?"
"Hey, Evan. Can we right now?"
Fabio slid his glasses down, and looked at me with upturned eyes. Was this something Fabio would do?
"Come out, Evan. I've got something to tell you. If you don't come out, I’m gonna kill Kyrie."
That's it. This guy was not Fabio. He looked like Fabio, but he wasn’t Fabio. So, who was it? No, what was it? A chill ran through my whole body, and I started to shake.
"Evan, is someone there?"
Kyrie shouted from the bathroom.
"Wait there. I'll be right out."
I responded out the window, and closed it. I couldn’t stop shaking.
"I’m gonna kill Kyrie."
I felt like I could hear the voice again. I felt that if I just stayed here, his words would become reality. I put on the bomber jacket for warmth, and then the two jackets with the bright, red feathers that Kyrie bought from the stand. I took out Rufus' pistol from the bag. I hesitated briefly, but shoved it inside Kyrie's backpack. I looked for anything else that could have been used as a weapon, but there was nothing. As I prepared myself and opened the door to the room, Kyrie peeked her face out of the bathroom.
"Evan?"
"Just going to buy a drink."
"Get one for me, too!"
I acknowledged her request and left the room. As I walked down the hallway, I thought about the guy waiting for me outside. I probably had no chance against him. It would be the same whether I had a gun or not. I saw absolutely no way out of this, but wondered if I had any other options aside from getting that guy away from Kyrie.
* *
Tseng moved along the wall of the inn, and peered at where the silver haired boy was. Snow had fallen thick at the back of the inn. He couldn't see anyone there, not even footprints.
* *
Elena shoved the receiver for the wiretapping into her pocket, and ran out of the room. She didn't see any sign of Evan, who had just come out of the next room. She cautiously proceeded toward the reception counter. Elena had a hunch that the unpleasant goosebump-like sensation on the surface of her skin was not being caused by the cold.
* *
"Over here."
Directed by the voice, I walked to the back of the village. Because of the strong wind, snow was blowing right at me. The piles of snow also seemed to be getting whisked up from around me, making it hard to see anything.
"There's a guard's hut. It’s just a little further."
The voice sounded pretty close. I tried to see where he was, but he seemed to be upwind, so the snow would hit me straight in the face.
"Look, over there."
Looking ahead of me, there was indeed a small building. It was a log hut, just like the other buildings in the village. I could make out the silhouette of a person dressed from head to toe in green standing in front of the hut, and opening the door. I followed, losing my footing in the snow. Then, I went inside.
"Come on, close the door."
"No..."
No matter what happened, I wanted to make sure I had an escape route. As I looked for a reason not to close the door, it shut on its own. Did the door close on its own? Immediately, my legs began to shake.
"Evan. I have something I want you to look at."
"I want to ask you something, too."
I said it in a hoarse, trembling voice, but somehow I managed to say it.
"I’m going first. I'm in a hurry."
In this pitch black room, I could see just the person who stood before me, who was glowing dimly.. There must have been something wrong with my eyes or my brain. I had a disease in my head so severe that it required surgery. It wouldn’t be strange for it to have affected my vision, as well.
"So, where is this from?"
The person who looked like Fabio had shoved a weird photo in front of me. I had seen it at Dr. Drake's. It was a picture of...
"Yes, Jenova. I asked Dr. Drake, but he said he doesn't know where it was, either."
"I wouldn’t know where to find it either. I just saw the photo at the doctor's..."
I noticed that photo was quite dirty. It had a few black smudges... No, brown, blood, probably.
"Is that blood?"
"Yes, Dr. Drake's blood. I saw in the doctor's consciousness that Jenova was high up in the Shin-Ra building, so I tried going to the building. But it wasn't there. I thought that I had been deceived..."
"What the hell are you saying?" No, that was a bad way of putting it. "Who are you?"
"I wonder. Even I don't know. Would you happen to know?"
In the darkness, he stretched out his hand and touched my left arm.
"...it appears that you don't."
For a moment, before my eyes, Fabio was suddenly a slender, silver haired boy. But in the next moment, the grey haired Dr. Drake appeared. He stuck out his tongue as if to mock me.
"And here I was so pleased at the thought that you knew about Jenova. Who would have thought that you had only seen the photo. The doctor had only seen the photo, too. Who is the one who knows where the real one is?"
"I don't know anything."
"I even went through all that trouble to heal your shoulder. You sure are worthless."
Just as I thought blood was spurting out of Dr. Drake's mouth, his figure began to blur. What stood before me was a monster. A monster who took the form of people who would elicit a reaction from me. The monster now took the form of my mother.
"Stop."
"Evan, you know that it’s all thanks to me that your shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, right? But, that's all over now."
As the monster in the form of my mother, moved it's hand away, severe pain shot through my whole body. I screamed out as I was assaulted by the dizzying pain.
* *
As he passed in front of the hut, he heard a scream cut through the wind. Tseng pointed the gun he had been grasping, and opened the door of the hut. It was pitch black inside. Goosebumps rose all over his body as he sensed someone dangerous lurking. Tseng knew this feeling. It was something one felt when death drew near.
"Evan?"
Tseng withstood the chills, and stepped into the darkness. He knew that Evan was lying on the floor. As he squatted down to see if he was alive or dead, he was grabbed by the neck from behind.
"You..." He heard the voice of the boy behind him. "You thought Evan could lead you to Jenova, didn’t you?"
Tseng tried to turn his head, but the force that held his neck in place was no ordinary one.
"Why is that? Evan doesn't know anything."
Tseng focused his mind, trying not to think of anything. Something began to flow into his neck and then he felt an unpleasant sensation of something being drawn out from him.
"What? You think that I'm Jenova? You’ve got it wrong. Jenova is my mother. I'm looking for my mother, you see"
The monster behind him was reading his consciousness. He had to avoid giving him any more information. But Tseng couldn't help but remember the man who once called Jenova his mother.
"Sephiroth? Oh, I know that name. Vaguely... I felt him in the lifestream... there’s something nasty about that guy."
"It hurts..." Evan let out a groan. "Tseng, the medicine. Painkillers..."
"I don’t believe this! So, nobody knows anything?!"
As the monster yelled, the binds on his neck disappeared. Tseng slumped forward, and collapsed on top of Evan. Evan's screams rang in his ears.
* *
Elena followed the nearly faded footsteps leading away from the inn, and arrived at the hut to find Tseng and Evan.
"Tseng!"
"I'm alright. Give Evan some medicine."
"Got it."
Elena crouched down and took out a gas-filled syringe from the holster on her belt, and pressed it against Evan's neck, eliciting a response as the highly concentrated potion was injected into his body.
"What happened?"
"There's a monster here. A monster displaying the characteristics of Jenova."