Loveless

Part 9

A few hours later, Reno had to let Eloise go. He whined and tried to make her give up on her original mission just to go back with him but that didn't work well. She punched him really hard in the ribs.

"You are one hard woman to please, aren't you?" One of her colleagues asked.

She chuckled and patted his shoulder. "You have no idea."

Except Gongaga, which was her hometown, Midgar was the only city she has been to. Being in Nibelheim, it felt new. The surroundings were different and the people were acting a bit differently as well. The team decided to do whatever they wanted to as long as they will meet at a decent time at their cottage.

Eloise was used to wander new places all alone but at that specific time, she felt like someone was watching her. Every corner she took, she felt like someone dangerous was waiting for her, ready to kill her. She didn't know why she was so paranoid. At one point, she felt like someone genuinely started to follow her. She panicked and glanced over her shoulder a few times, just to be sure.

While trying to escape from her own paranoid mind, she lost counts of how many streets she turned. In the end, she got lost. She sighed and stopped before going into the wrong direction once again.

"Are you lost?"

It was a girl with the biggest brown eyes Eloise had ever seen. She must have been around her age.

"No. I mean yes. I'm not sure..."

The stranger smiled. "I saw you walk in circles. You passed this street twice already." Eloise felt embarrassed so the girl added, "It's alright. Where do you need to go? I'll show you."

Eloise rubbed the back of her neck, a bit confused. She didn't have a place she needed to be at yet.

"A bar would be nice. I didn't get to eat."

The stranger nodded and told Eloise to follow her.

The two girls walked in silence for a couple of minutes until the stranger started to talk.

"So you work for Shinra Company? Don't you know what they do to the Lifestream?"

"I do. But as long as the world doesn't suffer big changes, then I am content with my life."

The other girl sighed. "It will kill everyone at some point. SOLDIERs are dangerous. You should take care on whose side you are going to fight for."

Eloise nodded, her mind swirling with thoughts that weren't exactly positive.

"Do you know AVALANCHE?" The SOLDIER asked the girl suddenly.

The girl's eyes widened and she stopped mid step. "Uh. I just realized that I have something to do. Yes. If you walk a little bit more, you will find a place to eat. Good bye!" She said and ran quickly into the opposite direction.

Eloise remained all alone in the street, wondering if it was bad to discuss AVALANCHE with civilians.

The day progressed slowly. When it was time to meet the rest, Eloise felt her feet heavy. It was definitely not her good day. She stared at her sword for a while. She couldn't help but smile when she remembered her mentor's good intentions. He was really handsome when he was smili-

"No, no. Bad thoughts, Eloise. Don't do what Genesis expects you to." She shook her head and tried to ignore her hormones.

The way to the cottage was eventful. She almost got lost for the second time that day and she almost got robbed. People weren't happy to see her, she deducted. A lot of people didn't sympathize with Shinra.