Wall Market (Food) - 2/23/05

           Starving, and needing a break from his latest "mission", Cloud stopped in a diner. The waitress read off the menu.
           "I'll have the Special," Cloud decided.
           "Don't get it," warned a man sitting nearby.
           "Why not?"
           "Trust me. You don't. Want. The Special."
           Too late; Cloud was curious. "One Special, please."
           "Coming right up."
           Cloud waited patiently. Soon, he heard an otherworldly howl from the kitchen, followed by loud chopping sounds. His "Special" being prepared?
           Cloud stuttered, "Wow, just l-look at the time..." then bolted from the diner.
           The waitress yelled after him, "Don't you want your free Pharmacy coupon?"

*****

The Flower Girl (Mistakes) - 3/1/05

           He thought this mission would go smoothly.
           The plan: Reno and his unit were assigned to capture her. He would step in, take over, no problem. And of course, that's the way it went. Now he was just one more successful idea short to try the next time the Turks got this dreaded assignment.
           She thanked him, kissed him on the cheek, and tucked a flower in his jacket pocket. He smiled and promised to stop by at their usual spot later.
           Later, he entered the lab. Hojo stared at his chest.
           "Tseng, where did you get that flower?"
           Damn.

*****

The Morning After (Light) - 3/13/05

           The first thing that they noticed were the beams. It was hard not to notice them, these bright angels’ gifts streaming down upon the slums. Obeying a collective desire to see where these oddities were coming from, both the evacuated upper-platers and the native slum dwellers gazed up to the plates. It was then that they noticed the holes.
           The upper-platers were especially astonished. Even where they used to live, facing the sky, they had never seen anything like it. Sunny days in Midgar were rare to begin with, but even on such occasions, the sun never shone like this.

*****

A Little Cloud Humor (Snow) - 3/15/05

           Cloud stood at the head of the table, apologizing to everyone for his recent behavior. "Well, does anyone have anything to say before we head to Junon?"
           Cid scratched the back of his head. "Well, uhh... before we got the Huge Materia in Corel, I went to Icicle Inn and kinda... tried out your snowboard!"
           "You did WHAT?"
           "Tried your snowboard!"
           "You STOLE MY SNOWBOARD?!"
           "No! I just borrowed it, okay? And I didn't damage it or anything!"
           Cloud sighed. "Okay... but next time, ask permission! Anyone else?"
           Tifa started, "Well, I... also went to Icicle Inn and..."
           "YOU TOO?!"

*****

Pet Project (Technology) - 3/22/05

           "The Chocobo Races use the latest in state-of-the-art holography to create a virtual racing environment for the chocobos and their jockeys. Similar systems have been put into place on the Shooting Coaster in Speed Square--"
           Reno yawned, interrupting his friend's excited jabbering.
           "Quite a marvel you've designed here. So when do we get to see the Ghost Hotel?"
           Reeve raised an eyebrow. "That's the third time you've asked that. Any particular reason?"
           "Let's just say... I believe in old-fashioned entertainment."
           "You're insatiable," the bearded man replied, chuckling. "Very well... I suppose we could end the tour a little early..."

*****

The Ivory's Short of Tea and Ray (Music) - 5/9/05

           Success was getting the better of Hojo, slamming his head into the open baby grand with its massive claws.
           The first three he merged with Vincent were different-- dumb, fairly controllable creatures. But this "Chaos" was not only powerful, but intelligent. So intelligent in fact that it managed to loosen its bonds, catching Hojo by surprise and chasing him upstairs to the mansion's ballroom.
           The strings connected to middle D and B snapped, slicing across the scientist's face. Despite the stream of blood, Chaos' pounding continued unabated. Fortunately, Hojo had an escape plan in his pocket, contained within a syringe..

*****

Concerning Yuffie... (Memories) - 6/25/05

           When she was very young, the war was all she had ever known; it consumed her very existence, becoming an inseparable part of her. Six years prior, after her nation’s surrender, her entire world changed. Gone was the constant fighting, the bombings, and the bloodshed, and in their place was a newfound complacency, as her once proud nation became—of all things—a tourist trap.
           Yet she was not about to go quietly, as the other villagers had done; this was what the enemy wanted of her. No, she was happier being a materia hunter, preparing for the next war...

---

Last Updated November 2005 | Copyright 2005, Reeve.