Chapter 16
Lining up with the tour group the following morning drew them some attention. It was clear they didn't belong; the real tourists had money, at least enough to splurge once in a while on a vacation to Gold Saucer. They travelled with matching luggage and outfits they had probably put together specifically for the occasion.
Tifa and her friends meanwhile carried their gear in cheap, army surplus packs and though their clothes might be new, they weren't fashionable. They moved differently, spoke differently. Even Aeris seemed a little rough compared to the vacationing rich.
No one protested when they claimed the back of the bus for themselves. Barret wedged himself into a corner and proceeded to ignore everyone, even Jessie as she sat down next to him. Yuffie claimed the entire opposite seat for herself, while Nanaki settled in the aisle between them. Aeris tugged Tifa into the seats in front of Barret and Jessie, taking the window for herself.
As could be expected, Barret made the other travellers uneasy, but Aeris preemptively assuaged their fears by telling them that he was a wrestler, and the arm was part of his gimmick. It certainly wasn't a real gun, she told them. Most of them were still too intimidated by his demeanor to try talking to him, but it otherwise put them at ease, and Tifa overheard some murmured speculation about whether he was headed to the Gold Saucer for a match with Dio, its owner.
The bus got moving precisely on time, and they soon left the streets of Costa del Sol behind for the stretch of plains beyond. A guide at the front of the bus chattered for a while about the history of Gold Saucer. Its existence had been 'made possible by the completion of the Corel Mako reactor,' she said, and Tifa could practically feel Barret's mood darkening behind her. It was a relief when the woman reached the end of her little history lesson and left them to travel a while in relative peace.
The Corel mountains were far enough inland that it could have easily taken them more than a day on foot just to reach the foothills. By bus, Tifa watched the plains between flash by outside, and it was still morning when they started up the winding road into the mountains. As they climbed higher, Aeris leaned close against the window, captivated by the view.
Jessie tapped Tifa on the shoulder and leaned forward to whisper, "So? How was it?"
Tifa glanced at Aeris, but she was too focused on the scenery outside to pay them any mind. She turned back to Jessie, and couldn't stop the smile coming to her face as she confided, "I kissed her."
"Good for you," Jessie said with a grin.
"It was really something," Tifa admitted, "even just that."
"That's how it should be."
Tifa didn't want to talk any more about it with Aeris right there, but maybe later, she'd work up the nerve to seek Jessie's advice. Jessie had admitted in the past to never having a relationship last longer than a few months, but it was more experience than Tifa had by far, and she didn't think she could ask Barret. Even once his mood improved, it might be hard for him to draw on experience that would remind him of the loss of his wife.
The tour bus pulled off the road around midday to allow them to stretch their legs and eat a lunch provided by the tour company. They were still high up in the mountains, and the tourists eagerly snapped photos of the view.
Tifa couldn't really blame them; she might have done the same had she owned a camera, and she could see the look on Aeris's face as she took in the sight of peaks stretching across the horizon. Tifa would have loved to enjoy it with her, but she wanted to check on Barret.
"Good luck," said Jessie with a shake of her head. She'd tried talking with him some on the bus, but he'd barely acknowledged her.
Tifa found him alone on a rock with his back to the view. At least he was eating, though by his face anyone would have thought it was the worst meal he'd ever tasted. Tifa sat herself down next to him.
"How are you holding up?" she asked.
Barret didn't look at her. "We're pretty close to that damn reactor now," he said. "Hope she doesn't make any more fuss over it."
"Yeah," Tifa agreed. "That was a little painful."
"An' these rich folks," he went on, "you think they really got no idea? You can tell they don't like us bein' here. Thought they were payin' for an experience where we don't exist."
"Yeah, well... We only have to put up with each other for a few more hours."
Barret grimaced. It really wasn't any relief, because once they stopped having to put up with the tourists, that meant they were in North Corel. The tour group was annoying, but that was something worse.
"I don't think I've ever seen you in this bad a mood," Tifa observed. "I know it's going to be rough, but..." She hesitated. At least there'd been survivors, she thought, and she couldn't say it. But she'd never seen him like this, where it seemed like all the drive had gone out of him. It was like he had resigned himself to something.
"...is there something else?" she wondered, and from the way he looked at her, she knew that there was. "You know I'm here to listen, whatever it is."
Barret glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one else was in earshot, and even then he kept his voice low. "Dyne ain't dead," he said. "Leastways, I don't think he is."
Tifa sat back. "Why do you say that?"
"Back when I got this gun grafted onto my arm, the doc told me, there was another man who got the same operation. Only, his was the left arm. That's the one that got shot up when I was holdin' onto 'im."
"But you haven't seen him, since then."
Barret shook his head. "I tried to leave word at the camp in North Corel, told 'im I was headed for Midgar. It ain't a surprise if he wants nothin' to do with me, but... Marlene..."
Tifa could see now why this was troubling him so much. "If he got your message," she said, "you'd think he'd want to see her."
"Yeah. So... If he's there, in North Corel, I gotta tell 'im. I gotta tell 'im his daughter's alive."
Tifa pressed her lips together. "Can't you imagine that would be a good thing?" she asked. "He was your best friend, wasn't he? If he's there, you'll be reunited, you'll be bringing him good news..."
"Everyone blamed me, after Corel got burned down," said Barret. "Can't imagine Dyne'd be any different. So... what if he wants her back, Teef? What am I supposed to do?"
"...I don't know," Tifa admitted, feeling a weight settle in the pit of her stomach. If Dyne was alive, they could hardly keep him from his own daughter. It wasn't his fault he hadn't been there to raise her, and no doubt he'd loved her, mourned her.
"I don't wanna lose her," Barret said. "But I don't know if I got a claim to her, over her real father."
Tifa shook her head. She didn't want to lose Marlene either. "You're her father," she said, "the only one she's ever known. Even if Dyne wants her back, he'd have to understand... it would be cruel to take you away from her like that." Surely a good father would understand that.
Barret glanced at her. "An' you, too. You an' Jess an' Wedge-- you're the family she knows."
"Maybe you're wrong about Dyne. Maybe he doesn't blame you. He might even join us. I mean... Do you think he got that weapon for a different reason than you did?"
"Maybe it's me he wanted vengeance on," Barret said bitterly.
"I think he could've done a better job tracking you down, if that's the case."
Barret shook his head. "I just don't know..."
Tifa laid a hand on his arm and tried a smile. "Whatever happens, we've got your back, okay?"
"...thanks, Teef. However it goes down... feel like I got pretty lucky with some o' my friends."
"I feel the same way," Tifa said, and she leaned closer to rest her head on his shoulder. They sat quietly like that for a minute.
"Y'know, you oughtta get back to Aeris," Barret suggested. "Seein' as how you're s'posed to be a couple."
Tifa straightened up and tucked her hair back behind her ear. "I think maybe we are a couple," she said.
"S'what I figured. But, journey like we're on, you gotta take your time when you can."
"Yeah. You're right."
Tifa gave him a parting smile and then followed his advice. Aeris had climbed up onto a higher outcropping, in search of an even better view, and sat with her legs dangling. She looked up as Tifa joined her.
"How's Barret?" she asked.
"Hanging in there," Tifa said.
Aeris nodded, but she looked thoughtful. "You know, Barret can be pretty brooding sometimes, can't he?" she said.
"He's got plenty of reason to, doesn't he?"
"Oh, I'm not saying he doesn't. It just reminded me of something. Do you know what his type is?"
Tifa looked at her askance. "His type?"
"You know, romantically speaking."
"Um... We've never talked about it. I don't think he's really interested in dating."
"I know he's really focused on Marlene and AVALANCHE right now," Aeris said, "but do you think he wouldn't be open to it, once things calm down a little?"
"I thought you weren't going to go out with Barret," Tifa said wryly. Where was this even coming from?
"Oh, no. I'm not thinking about me."
Tifa followed her gaze to where Jessie sat eating lunch with Yuffie and Nanaki, and she frowned. "Look, I don't know if that's a good idea. Jessie has a tendency to fall hard and fast, and I'm not sure Barret's over his wife."
"Did you even know he'd been married, before?" Aeris wondered.
"I knew. I only heard him mention her once, though, so I don't think he meant to let on. I think he wanted to keep it private."
"I see..."
"Yeah. So... don't push anything, okay?"
Aeris nodded. "I won't. But I don't think they'd make a bad match, do you?"
Tifa shrugged. "I've never thought about it, but... maybe. They've always gotten along pretty well."
"You never like to play matchmaker, even just to think about?" Aeris wondered.
"I don't really feel like it's any of my business."
"Well, that's all right. I'm sure Jessie will indulge me. I'll just leave it to her to tell me if she's got any crushes."
Tifa laughed. "That does sound more up her alley. Believe me, she won't make a secret of it."
The tour guide called a ten minute warning before the bus would be leaving, so they finished their lunches and climbed back down from their spot.
The bus got moving again, and even though it meant they were drawing nearer to North Corel, Barret seemed to be in a slightly better mood. Jessie tried striking up another conversation, and while he didn't give her much to work with, he at least put in a word here and there to show he was listening. Tifa found herself trying to imagine what the two of them would be like as a couple, and she wondered if Jessie had made it their cover story for any other reason than to get the discount. But, she would've said something if she were interested in Barret.
They got into North Corel late in the afternoon. For the real tourists, it was fine timing for them to take the ropeway on up to Gold Saucer and check into some pricey hotel on the amusement park grounds. The rest of them collected their gear and turned their backs on the sign for the ropeway.
It was hard to say which was worse, this or the Midgar slums. North Corel had the sky above, a point in its favor, but there was nothing else to recommend it. Beyond a cluster of dusty tents were a few dilapidated stone buildings that looked like they'd barely survived some kind of bombing--and might collapse at any moment, still. Piles of junk lay everywhere, mostly trash that had already been separated from anything useful, collected maybe for some sense that they had anything at all.
A few men were standing around outside carrying on a conversation, but as the bus pulled away, they looked over and noticed Barret. The conversation ceased. They squared their shoulders and marched over, and before anyone could react, the first man raised a fist and punched Barret square in the jaw.
Barret didn't react, and Tifa grabbed the man's arm as he pulled back to strike again. "Hey, knock it off!"
The man didn't struggle against her, but instead looked directly at Barret and spat on the ground. "You got a lotta nerve showin' your face here," he said.
Barret hung his head. "Sorry. We're just passin' through. Don't mean to bother anybody."
Tifa released the man with a shove, and only then did he even glance at her.
"Well, shit, my day's already ruined," he said.
Another of the men nodded in agreement. "Gonna be spendin' the next week wonderin' what kinda bad luck he's brought on us this time."
"Do you even hear yourselves?" Jessie demanded. "Barret wasn't the only one who supported the reactor. You all made the same mistake, except for Dyne."
The first man snorted. "Yeah, Dyne. How 'bout that? The two of 'em go outta town for a couple days, an' only one of 'em comes back."
"Because of the Shinra!" Aeris exclaimed. "Are you really accusing him of murdering his own best friend?"
"Seems awful suspicious, is all I'm sayin.'"
Tifa shook her head. "What's awful is how you're treating one of your own. You all survived the same disaster. What does it get you to be this cruel?"
"It's what he deserves," said the man, and he nodded at Barret. "An' he knows it."
The third man, who'd been silent until now, nudged him with an elbow and said, "Fuck 'im. He ain't worth the effort."
The first man nodded. "Yeah. Waste o' breath," he agreed.
As one, they turned their backs and marched off, disappearing into one of the collapsing buildings.
"Wow, what a bunch of jerks," said Yuffie, and there was something encouraging about that after how harsh she'd been before.
"You all right, Barret?" Jessie asked.
He didn't answer. He was staring out over the encampment, brow furrowed. None of those men had been Dyne, and they seemed to think he was dead, but that was no confirmation.
"...I'll take care of it, Barret," said Tifa.
"Take care of what?" Aeris asked.
Tifa hesitated. He'd told her what he had in confidence, so she couldn't very well share it with the others. She quickly thought of something else. "Well," she said, "since Sephiroth's been showing up everywhere we go, we figured we ought to ask around after him, before we move on. So, let's split up and see if anyone's seen him. Barret, you can just wait here."
Barret met her gaze and nodded a silent thanks.
"I'll stay with him," Jessie said. "If anybody else wants a shot at him, they'll have to get through me first."
She pounded a fist into her palm, and Tifa smiled. Jessie wasn't the strongest fighter, but Tifa had taught her a thing or two about how to throw a punch. Barret was in good hands.
Aeris nearly came along with Tifa, but Tifa caught her eye, and she seemed to grasp that there was something else going on. She walked off with Nanaki instead, and Yuffie easily peeled off on her own.
The first few people Tifa spoke to had much the same attitude.
"Dyne?" said one. "Nah, I ain't seen 'im. Thought Barret was the last one who did. Always figured that was it for Dyne, hangin' around a walkin' death sentence like that."
Tifa noticed a woman watching her after she came out of the first tent, and after she'd tried two more without learning anything, the woman approached her.
"You one o' the folks who came with Barret?" she asked.
"That's right," Tifa said guardedly. "He's a friend of mine."
The woman nodded, no malice in her expression. "That's good to hear, that he's got friends."
"You don't hate him?"
"No. I always thought it was shameful, the way everyone's acted. Barret might've been the loudest about supportin' the reactor, but we all went along with it. But nobody wants to think we brought this on ourselves, so they blame him."
"What about blaming the Shinra?" Tifa said.
The woman laughed. "Sounds simple when you say it, but it feels like blamin' a force o' nature."
Tifa shook her head. "They're not, though. We have to believe they can be stopped."
"Hm. You sound like Barret. I heard he got that arm to get revenge on the Shinra. We got word recently that someone murdered the President. Wonder if that was him."
Tifa shrugged. She didn't want to let on to knowing more than she should have, and maybe she didn't want to take it away from Barret either. "They say it was an anti-Shinra group," she said.
"'Landslide' or somethin,' right?"
"Something like that."
The woman nodded. "Anyway, you've been tryin' to ask about somethin,' right?"
"Yeah. Barret thinks his friend Dyne might have survived, back then. I was wondering if anyone here had seen him?"
"Dyne..." She tapped her lip thoughtfully and then shook her head. "No, can't say I've even heard that name in a while. Thought he must've died in the fire, with his poor wife. It's a miracle their baby girl survived."
"All right. But if you ever do hear anything, do you think you could get word to us? We're on the road a lot, but we have a friend Wedge staying near Kalm. He'd be able to pass the message on."
"Of course. Wouldn't hold my breath, though... Or expect it to be good news, if it came. It's been four years, an' with the kinda anger we've got festerin' inside..."
"...I understand what you mean," Tifa said, and she did. Too well. "But I have to ask."
"Yeah. Guess even that kinda closure might be worth somethin.'"
Tifa nodded. "Thanks for your time," she said, and she made her way back to Barret.
She couldn't be direct about it with Jessie standing right there, but she said, "No one I talked to has seen or heard anything about him."
Barret nodded grimly. "Don't know if that's good news or bad news," he said.
On the one hand, it meant Dyne wouldn't be challenging them for Marlene. On the other hand, his best friend's fate remained uncertain.
Aeris, Nanaki, and Yuffie returned shortly, and they had much the same thing to report about Sephiroth: no one had seen any men in black coats recently. And again, Tifa didn't know if that was good news or bad news. Sephiroth might not be nearby, but that also meant they didn't know where he was.
"Well, guess we oughtta get movin' then," said Barret.
"There isn't much daylight remaining," Nanaki observed.
"Yeah, but we ain't welcome here."
"I don't wanna stay in what passes for an inn around here anyway," Yuffie said. "I'd be too worried the roof'd fall down on me to get any sleep!"
"We'll find someplace to camp along the pass," Tifa decided. "We won't be hitting the Nibel mountains just yet, so it won't be too dangerous."
Barret caught her eye and nodded slightly, like an acknowledgment that they were leaving behind the place of his greatest fears, and moving on to hers. Even before they had completely left the camp, she could see the change in him. He'd survived the brief return to his people, and his anxieties over a confrontation with Dyne were being shoved back into the same place he'd kept them these past four years. He could be someone to lean on again, when it was her turn to need it.
The Corel mountain range dominated the western horizon, backlit by the sunset light, and Tifa knew somewhere beyond them the mountains of home waited. A few days more, and she would be back in Nibelheim. And there would be no semblance of life, no survivors to hate her. What she expected instead was a void, a graveyard of ghosts.
Tifa set her jaw and pressed on.