Chapter Nineteen: The Ferry
by thelittletree
"The next ferry's set to leave this afternoon," the portly dock-master told her, scratching idly at his scalp under the blue cap that didn't quite fit his head. "If you want to be on it, you'd better buy your ticket now."
Elira pursed her lips. "Okay, but let's say that, after I get to Costa Del Sol, I want to get up to the Northern Continent. Do you know if there are any boats or ferries that go up that way?"
The man looked surprised. "The Northern Continent? Why would you want to go up there? The place is practically uninhabited."
Elira smiled a little. "Will I have to tell you to get an answer?"
He chuckled, and then glanced over his shoulder as someone called his name. He waved for them to wait and turned back to her. "I'm sorry to have to say this, but there isn't anything that goes from anywhere to the Northern Continent." Elira was just starting to sigh in discouraged frustration when the man amended, "Unless you want to take a barge."
"A barge?" Elira felt a returning spark of hope. "What's a barge?"
"It's a big rectangular scow of supplies for the scientists up there, in Bone Village. A tug pulls it up about once a month."
"Once a month?" Elira couldn't help her disappointed scowl.
The man smiled at her sympathetically. "Sorry I can't give you better news. You in a hurry to get there or something?"
Elira shrugged and tried to return his smile. "Maybe. Thanks a lot for your help."
"You're welcome, m'dear."
When she returned to Cloud and Tifa's house she discovered Vincent in the room, looking like he'd just come out of the shower. To see him reclining on the bed with his ankles crossed, engrossed in a book, made her feel a little better; she'd been half expecting to find him in the same position she'd left him in, staring moodily at his prosthetic. As she entered, he glanced up and put the book aside. When she gave a heavy sigh to his unspoken question, he sat up and she took it as an invitation to sit down.
Wearily, she rubbed her face, still feeling the after-effects of the sunshine on her hangover. "There's a ferry leaving for Costa Del Sol today, in a few hours," she told him, "but the only thing that goes from there to the Northern Continent is a barge, and that's only once a month."
Vincent didn't say anything for a few moments. Eventually, Elira looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. "What do you think?"
He sighed a little. "I suppose we go to Costa Del Sol."
Elira quirked a corner of her mouth at him. "So you're not going to turn us right around and head back?"
He shook his head. "Not now. Chaos will never let me be again, I have a feeling, after this breach of trust." He sighed again and seemed to drift into his own thoughts for a moment. "We'll have to find somewhere to stay for possibly as long as a month," he observed, almost to himself.
Elira nodded and leaned forward, putting her elbows onto her knees. "How much gil do you have left?"
"After the ferry tickets, I doubt it will be enough. Perhaps one room for a week at the hotel."
She blew her breath out. "What I've got might buy us two." And then she chuckled. "Maybe we can just stay on the beach. It's not like we'd die of exposure." Vincent raised an eyebrow and she grinned at him. "Are you a beach-person, Vincent?"
His lips twitched a little. "What do you think?"
She chuckled again and then rested a cheek in one palm, considering. "Maybe I can get a job up there, if we have to stay that long."
Vincent looked as if that would not be his first option. "If anyone's going to work..." he began, but Elira interrupted him.
"You're not going to work, Vincent. Don't even think about it. What would I do, follow you around with the tranquilizer gun?"
He frowned. "Elira..."
"Don't, Vincent. I'm not going to give on this. You can't work with Chaos acting the way it is. It's not safe for you or others."
He shut his mouth on his protest. And then, after a moment of silent contemplation, he gave a sigh of resignation and began to rub his forehead under the bandana. "I'm sorry about this, Elira."
His apology surprised her. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. And I don't mind working. It'll give me something to do." She smiled a little. "Besides, you've already got the job of making sure Chaos stays where it is. I'll give you the darts to inject by hand, and you just have to make sure you don't destroy the room."
Vincent raised an eyebrow and his lips twitched again. "I don't know. Remember how much luck I had with my apartment."
She laughed a little. "Then maybe I'll just have to drug you every day before I leave, hmm? Or chain you to the bed?"
She didn't realize how it sounded until it was out of her mouth. And then, startled and embarrassed, she met Vincent's eyes to see that he was similarly surprised. She wanted to chuckle awkwardly and wave the image away, but it hung between them like the unspoken memory of the night in his apartment and she knew her face was flushing.
When the wall came down over Vincent's expression, Elira felt acutely abandoned in her shame and she regretted ruining the easy atmosphere. Quickly, she got to her feet. "I should get the tickets. The dock-master told me to do it soon."
Vincent nodded wordlessly and pulled some gil from his coat. As he handed it to her, he was careful so that even his glove didn't brush her skin. Stuffing the gil into a pocket, she fled the room, resisting the urge to look back.
Once Elira was out of sight, Vincent shut his eyes and began to rub his forehead again. The fact that she could break his composure with one simple, unintentional sentence made him cringe. Was his control truly so precarious? He cursed under his breath. And now he'd made her upset. After all of this trust he'd placed in her, was he not willing to trust her with the knowledge of the extent of his desire for her?
He'd wondered now and again if perhaps she'd been telling the truth about only wanting a friendship with him. She'd given no hints of anything otherwise of late, at least not while she was sober. But there it had been in her eyes, unconcealed, as evident as his own would have been if he'd let her see it -- her attraction to him; that spark of chemistry. And it was like lighting a match in a powder room: dangerous. If she knew how sorely he had been tempted the other night...
He swallowed. If she knew, would she press her advantage? He wanted to say no; he wanted to trust her. But the human will and human lusts were often perilously balanced, and it would take only moments for Chaos to realize his chance and take it.
And they were going to be spending an indefinite amount of time together in a small hotel room? He sighed. Just the *three* of them. If that wasn't fairly inviting fate to rain curses down on him, he didn't know what was.
And so...
He sighed again, heavily. So. He would have to leave her alone in Costa Del Sol until the barge arrived. It was the best way to protect her. He doubted she'd be very happy with his choice; in the end, he wasn't very happy about it either. He didn't want to have to leave her alone, though he knew already that he would keep himself close by just to make sure she was safe. But it was the only way if they were going to make it, he decided.
He took a breath as he resolved himself. And he silently hoped Elira would forgive him when he simply disappeared again without an explanation.
On her way back from the dock, as she walked through the Strifes' living room, Elira nearly bumped into Tifa as she studied the tickets in her hands. Nineteen hour trip? This day just kept getting worse and worse. She hoped she wasn't the type to get seasick.
Tifa hefted her laundry basket and smiled as she glanced at the tickets. "You're going to take the ferry?"
Elira shrugged. "I guess so. There isn't anything else we can do. The Northern Continent doesn't seem very popular."
Tifa didn't look surprised. "Well, if you need a place to stay while you look for a way up there, Cloud and I have a small villa in Costa Del Sol that we haven't used in..."
Elira felt like she could kiss the other woman. "Oh, Tifa! You don't know how much that would help! Vincent and I were just trying to figure out where we were going to stay. The only thing from Costa Del Sol to the Northern Continent is a monthly barge, and we're running out of gil. Thank you so much!"
Tifa looked startled by the outburst. "Oh, well, I'm glad I could help..."
Impulsively, Elira squeezed the woman's hand before dashing off to tell Vincent the news. The memory of the look on his face, however, was like a cold slap of water and she slowed her pace as she entered the hallway. Another of her failings, she thought miserably to herself. Her inability sometimes to keep her feet away from her mouth.
Vincent was still in the room. At the doorway, she took a breath before stepping in. "I've got the tickets," she told him, and then she reached into her pocket. "And here's the change." To avoid any unnecessary discomfort, she placed it on the bed for him to pick up.
He nodded his thanks and put the gil away. When he met her eyes a moment later, she couldn't tell what he was feeling. She gave a hesitant smile. "I've got some good news. Tifa and Cloud have a villa in Costa Del Sol we can stay in for as long as we need to."
Vincent's eyes seemed to show a kind of relieved pleasure for a moment, but it faded. "That's good to hear," he said simply.
Elira fought the urge to chew her lip and she reached down for her things. "Well, I'm going to..." She fumbled for an excuse to leave. "...go eat something. The ferry leaves in about three and a half hours." She slipped the pack and water bottle over her body and walked toward the door. After a few steps, however, she remembered the ticket and slowed to a stop. With a sigh, she pulled it out of her pocket and turned back to him. "This one's yours," she said.
He stood from the bed to take it from her. As he reached out his hand, Elira saw him hesitate a second as if debating something, but then he just pulled the paper from her fingers. Elira couldn't stop herself from glancing up into his face. His expression seemed a little uncertain and she wondered if he was looking for a way to bridge the gap she'd unintentionally created between them. She pursed her lips, and then blurted out, "Vincent, I'm sorry."
Vincent gave a small sigh and closed his eyes. After a second, he shook his head. "Don't apologize, Elira. None of this is your fault."
Elira felt a kind of relief that he hadn't clammed up again, and then was surprised by an undeniable urge to giggle. If she thought about it, it was actually a pretty funny idea, chaining him to the bed. Ultimately, her body betrayed her and she gave an abrupt, stilted chuckle, and then another. "God, I'm sorry. This isn't funny." She put a hand to her lips to try and stop herself.
When she met his eyes again, there was a kind of unwilling amusement there and his lips were fighting a losing battle against a smile. That only served to spur her on and, finally defeated, she began to laugh with an unbridled freedom she hadn't known in awhile. And, as if her loss of control was contagious, Vincent suddenly dropped his head with a small, breathless laugh of his own. Hastily, he closed his eyes and followed her example with a hand to his mouth.
Elira stared at him in amazement, still laughing. "Oh my god, you laughed!" she told him. "And you're blushing!"
He quickly turned his back to her and she saw his shoulders shudder once with suppressed mirth before he took a deep breath, trying to regain his omnipresent control. "Go get something to eat," he told her in a tight, dry voice.
This only made her laugh harder, but she did as he said and stumbled out of the room.
The ferry was huge, easily the largest boat Elira had ever seen, and she had seen a few as a child growing up on the edge of the ocean. It took her a full ten minutes just to walk from prow to stern, and she got lost twice while looking for her room. Vincent had wandered off previously to find his own quarters, and she found that she was worrying less about him now that he had his own supply of tranquilizer darts. Feeling strangely carefree, she dropped her things off and, after seeing Vincent settled with a book in the cabin next to hers, went to continue her exploration of the massive vessel.
It was fascinating to watch the water as it parted for the hull, licking upward with blue-green tongues as if to taste the man-made invention. She walked along the railing, doing what she could to avoid bumping into other passengers, until she found a spot where she could look at the ocean in relative peace. The air that brushed her face was salty and fresh, and she suddenly felt that nineteen hours wouldn't be nearly long enough. This was so invigorating and she imagined that every moment here was cleansing her of another day she'd spent stifled in the city.
There were so many people walking and chatting around her that she almost didn't notice it when a man came up to lean on the railing only a foot or so away from her. He was maybe a couple of inches taller than herself and of a medium build, with sand-coloured hair, pleasant, friendly features, and glasses. He was smiling a little as he looked out on the ocean. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said to her without turning his head.
Elira was surprised that he'd addressed her, a complete stranger. "Yes," she answered. "Very beautiful."
He turned to look at her and she noticed that his eyes were green. "Is this your first time on the ferry?"
"Oh, yes." She nodded. "I'm from Neo-Midgar, so I don't get up here that often."
"Ah." He smiled and the way it lit up his entire face made her smile, too. "I'm just coming from the city, too, heading home to Costa Del Sol. My name's Leo Hayden." He stood from the railing and held out his hand.
There was something about him, an openness, that put her immediately at ease. She shook his hand. "I'm Elira Maddison, it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise." He crossed his arms on the railing and put his body at ease. "So, Neo-Midgar," he commented. "It's a big place, lots of opportunities. What do you do there?"
Elira shrugged, and felt momentarily flustered. He glanced at her and seemed to realize her discomfort. With an apologetic grin, he asked, "Is there a story involved here?"
She gave a small laugh. "Maybe. I'm kind of between jobs."
"The perfect time to be on a ferry to somewhere else," he observed. "Leaving what's behind you for something completely new."
She thought it was an apt statement. A breeze caught her curls and sent a couple across her face. With a quick shake of her head, she pushed them away. When she glanced back at the man, Leo, she realized that he was looking at her. A slow smile crossed his face. "Sorry to be staring," he told her after a moment. "You remind me of a painting I saw once, standing here at the railing and looking out at the ocean. I think the woman in it had red, curly hair." He chuckled a little self-consciously. "And if I'm creeping you out, you can just say so. I won't be offended. I get it a lot."
Elira raised her eyebrows. "Oh, no, that's fine. You're not creeping me out." She returned his chuckle. "Maybe I don't mind the company. I didn't come over here to be alone, exactly. I just wanted to get away from the press of people."
He smiled again and then pushed at his glasses with a thumb. "So, what can I tell you about Costa Del Sol? It's beautiful, too, in its own way. A little warm and overrun with commercialism, but still beautiful. What's waiting for you there? A career?" He glanced at her. "A husband?"
Was he flirting with her? Elira was momentarily surprised that it wasn't making her uncomfortable. She held up her left hand to show him that her ring finger was bare. "No husband, no career. A friend and I are just passing through, actually."
"Oh." He looked a little disappointed. "Then I suppose I should ask if you want to join me for a coffee now, before I never see you again."
Elira chuckled in a little embarrassment. "You're not subtle, are you?"
He grinned and shook his head. "Subtlety is for predators and cowards, and I'm not either one. I think you're a very pretty woman, and a few minutes of your company would make my day."
Elira was sure she was blushing, but he was tactful enough not to tease her about it. She shrugged, smiling. "Okay, I'll go for a coffee with you. Though I might be in Costa Del Sol for a little while before my friend and I head out. We might see each other again."
His grin returned. "That would be nice." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a card. "I own a bookstore. There's the address and the number in case you want to find me after we dock. And if you need a job or anything..." He gave an innocent little shrug. "I just happen to be looking for some help."
Elira smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
"All right." He moved from the railing with an easy grace and gestured at the deck. "Shall we? As long as your friend won't miss you?"
"Oh, no." Elira shrugged. "He's reading. He's probably fine for hours."
"Mm." Leo clicked his tongue a little as they walked. "So your friend is a man."
"Yes, he's a man. Does that bother you?"
"No, no," Leo replied quickly. "I just want to make sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes. The idea of having the stuffing beaten out of me by a jealous boyfriend doesn't appeal to me, somehow."
Elira chuckled. "No, you're safe from that, though he is a little protective. But as long as you don't hurt me..." She cast him a sly glance. "...I'm sure you'll be fine."
He raised his hands, laughing. "I'll consider myself duly warned."
The cafeteria of the ferry was fairly busy, but they found a table together. And Leo listened as she told him about the shop she'd left behind, laughing fondly at her description of Benita. When she left whole sections of her life out, and made no excuses for her current journey, he didn't press. He seemed content just to hear whatever she had to say and his manner relaxed her.
His own life had started in Cosmo Canyon, and his description of the place and some of its inhabitants made her yearn to see it. An education there had encouraged him to become something of a historian, and now he wrote articles for culture magazines. Running a bookstore, he told her, was just something to pay the bills, though it also gave him an excuse to look for books he wanted.
His conversation was informal and engaging, and Elira became more and more pleased with him as time went along. At the end of two hours, when they were long done their coffee and it was moving around to dinner time, she though she might actually try to find him in Costa Del Sol.
Vincent was still reading when she arrived at his room, though she guessed that he'd heard her footsteps from down the hallway because he was glancing toward the door when she peered in. "Hi."
He nodded his usual greeting. "Where have you been?" It was a quiet question without emphasis, but she got the impression her long absence had made him a little concerned.
She shrugged. "Just looking around, you know." She wasn't sure what compelled her not to mention Leo. A part of her mind told her it wasn't a very important detail and that he probably wouldn't be interested. "This is a huge boat."
"Have you eaten?"
She shook her head. "No, but I'm on my way now. I just wanted to check up on you, I guess. You doing all right?"
"I'm fine," he told her, turning back to his book. "You don't need to worry."
Seeing him after spending the afternoon with Leo was like coming into a cool, dark room after being in the sun. Vincent was quiet, intense, and reserved where Leo was talkative and candid. She couldn't help a momentary comparison. "All right. Well, I'll be back later."
Leo had asked her to eat with him and she'd accepted. Vincent nodded again before she left the doorway.