The Maiden and a friend

" Well, anything new to update, Reno?"

Reno was on the phone with Tseng, current leader of the Turk organization. His mission was to keep Shinra updated on the current physical and mental state of Exodus. 

He was currently making his daily report.

" Well, nothing new to report today." Reno told the man before taking a bite from his desert. " He went to meet some chick that works here, I guess. But that's about it. Nothing much else."

" I see. This woman. What's her name?" Tseng asked.

" Uh... I don't remember really. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't paying attention at the time." Reno told the man.

"I see. Well, make sure to continue keeping an eye on him for the time being. We're finally getting things back to a somewhat norm around here. We can't risk another Genesis incident breaking out."

" Yeah, yeah. I know." Reno told the man. He promptly ended the call and went back to consuming his food, while also watching Exodus from afar. 

..............

When morning first came, Exodus had already gotten up and dressed for the day. He checked his phone and sent a message to Jessie, seeing if she was still interested in meeting up, before leaving the room. 

It took some time, but when Jessie responded, Exodus' lips twirled upwards, breaking out into a small smile. 

" Well, look at you all happy and shit." Reno joked.

" Go fuck yourself." Exodus told the man.

" Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go get your rocks off, I don't care just don't go too far." Reno stated.

Exodus ignored Reno and exited the room.

..................

Sam waited, in front of the Golden Saucers theater, for the young actress. Thankfully, however, he didn't have to wait long.

Jessie approached Sam wearing a pretty white blouse, a pair of blue jeans that hugged Jessie's hips and thighs, and a pair of blue slide on shoes. 

Sam's cheeks turned bright red, as his eyes loomed over her figure.

Jessie smiled brightly. Maybe a little too brightly " Hey, didn't make you wait, did I?" Jessie asked, making sure to get as close as possible to Sam as she could.

Sam raised his hand to cover the grin on his face and backed away as subtly as possible, while avoiding eye contact. " Not at all." He told the woman. " Any way's what's up with all the people about?" He asked. " I didn't think there'd be so many people up so early." 

" Come on, now. This is THE Golden Saucer. No place on Gaea is as magical as this place." Jessie told the man.

That was fair. The Golden Saucer was a place of marvel and excitement, after all. An adventure that people did not have the opportunity to visit as often as they might like, due to high cost and low availability of space. So, it made sense for those who could come to spend as much time doing what they wanted for as long as they wanted. 

" I see. I guess, I never really thought about it." Sam told the woman. " Working for Shinra... You never really have much time to think about much."

" Oh? Why's that?"

" It's always something." Sam complained. " A lot of people don't see it, but there's a lot of politics in place in that place." Sam's face was stern.

It seemed like Sam was... Angry.

" Wow, that's a lot of aggression. What's with all the hostility?" She asked.

Sam's eyes widened in realization. He hadn't even noticed the scowl he had adorned. He used his hand to rub his face, and rid himself of his frown, but the aggression was still there, buried within his very being.

" Sorry." He said. " Let's forget about it. That's why I'm here. What do you want to do?" He asked.

Jessie paused for a moment. ' That was weird.' She thought. " Well, let's start with breakfast and we'll see how the rest of the day goes." 

" Waaaait a minute... This isn't just gonna be me escorting you around all day, while you eat, is it?" Sam asked.

" No! Of course not." Jessie responded in fake tone, mocking Sam with a hurt expression on her face. " It's gonna be you escorting me around all day, while WE eat and play, and whatever else comes to mind. How does that sound?" 

" Actually... That doesn't sound too bad." He said.

Jessie watched as his features relaxed, his hardened expression becoming gentle. She smiled and grabbed his hand. " Good. Now, let's go!" She yelled, dragging him along.

" Hey?! What the hell is up with people dragging me around?" He asked.

.................

Jessie brought Sam to her favorite restaurant in the entire Saucer. Chocobo Ranch. It was a nice little shop within the Chocobo Square.

" Chocobo Ranch. Really?" Sam asked the girl.

" Yeah! Come on, don't say this place isn't awesome. I mean we get a nice hot breakfast and a good show. Not to mention all the cute Chocobo's. Chocobo, Choco-Choco Chocobo!"

" Singing? Hahaha! You really like Chocobo's huh?"

" Well, of course I do. They're adorable!" Jessie exclaimed.

" Well, I'll give you that. They are pretty cute." He said.

" Oh? Are they the only things that are cute?"

Sam choked a little. Feeling slightly embarrassed at how forward Jessie was being. 

" What's the matter? Not feeling sick are ya?"

" Not, just... A little hot, I guess"

" Yeah, you are."

" Hey!" Sam yelled. The embarrassment, creeping further and further up his face.

" What?"

" You're certainly not trying to hide anything, are you?"

" Why should I?" Jessie asked the man. " After all, this is a date."

If he wasn't before, Sam had turned crimson now.

" Really?"

" Well, yeah. I did ask you out after all."

" Well... Yeah, but I didn't.... I wasn't..."

" What? Not interested?"

" No, I didn't say that... It's just."

" Just what?"

Sam tried to hide the embarrassment on his face by averting his eyes to the side. But no matter how hard he might try; it was written all over. 

" I've never been on an actual date." He muttered.

Jessie raised a hand to her ear. " I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Could you repeat that?" She asked.

" I said, I've never been on a date before, alright!" Sam repeated. 

Sam watched in slight annoyance as Jessie leaned back in her chair while laughing. 

" Oh, I'm messing with you. I heard you the first time, i just couldn't help but messing with you." She said. " Honestly, it's adorable. I figured being a big shot First-Class meant lots of girls chased after you." 

" Well.... Yeah, but I'm usually working and... To be honest none of them have ever really interested me."

" Oh? So what you're saying is... I'm special?"

There it was again. 

Sam felt weak in his stomach when Jessie stared at him with those soft brown eyes. 

" I guess, you could say that." Sam muttered under his breath.

" Well, I'm happy to be your first. To be honest, you're my first as well."

" What?" 

Sam was actually surprised to hear that. And it showed on his face.

" You don't need to be surprised; you know. Guys don't usually tend to be interested in girls like me."

" Oh? And what kind of girl is that?" Sam asked.

" Stick around, you might find out. But I gotta warn ya, I can be a handful." She replied.

It was Sam's turn to laugh now. " Okay, then. Challenge accepted."

Jessie laughed at Sam. " How cheesy."

Hearing her joke, Sam joined in, laughing alongside the woman. A warm feeling began building up inside his chest. A feeling, and a Thought.

Is this what it's like... To be normal?

....................

After eating, Sam and Jessie began wandering around the park. Seeing the sights, taking photos, and even playing a couple of the games. 

It was quite a different experience. Far different than anything Sam had, had the chance to experience before. 

But for the first time in a while, He was enjoying himself. He felt like he could keep going for hours, Jessie, on the other hand, was beginning to feel a little tired.

" Hey, why don't we sit down for a bit? My feet are hurting." She said.

" Oh? Sure, hold on." 

In a shocking turn of events, Sam grabbed Jessie by the waist and hoisted her up into his arms, eliciting a surprised gasp from the woman.

" Hey, what's the big idea?" She asked. Her face turning as red as a tomato.

" Oh, my bad, I was gonna carry you since your feet were hurting." Sam explained to the woman. " Do you want me to put you back down?"

" No... It's fine. Just next time give a girl a little warning before ya go and do that?" 

" Of course. Now come on, let's rest." Sam carried Jessie to the nearest sitting booth and placed her gently on the bench, before taking a seat next to her. 

" Whew, I gotta say, I'm pretty tired now. I'm glad I don't have to practice tonight."

" Practice for what?" Sam asked.

" Oh, right, I haven't told you yet. I told you I was a part of the Saucer's theater, right? Well, I'm going to be the main actress in the upcoming play." Jessie told the man.

" Oh yeah? What play?"

" Loveless!"

Sam's eyes immediately became downcast, and his demeanor changed.

" What? Not a fan?" jessie asked.

" No, it's not that... It's just... A friend of mine used to really love that damn play. He'd recite a passage from the book any chance he got. It was so bad, I ended up memorizing almost all of it my damn self." Sam explained. He looked up towards the ceiling of the Golden Saucer and sighed. " I used to hate it.... His constant rabbling about that book. But now... I miss it. I miss it every day."

The way Sam spoke, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened. " Oh... I'm sorry for your loss. Was he... Was he a Soldier too?" 

" Yeah... His name was Genesis a First-Class SOLDIER like myself. He was as flamboyant as they came. But his skill with a blade was magnificent. He and Angeal.... The both of them were unlike anything I had ever seen before. My brother and I were amazed when they first came to join us at SOLDIER."

" You have a brother?" Jessie asked.

Sam looked at her and smirked. " Yeah. You ever heard of Sephiroth?" He asked.

Jessie's eyes nearly exploded out of her head when she heard the name of one of the most famous men on the planet. " Oh my god! Who hasn't?! You mean to tell me you're Sephiroth's brother!"

Sam nodded his head and laughed. " Yeah. That's right. Did you not know who I really was?"

" I don't wanna sound offensive, but no not really. I don't pay too much attention to Shinra or their employees. Really, that's more my mom and dad's thing." Jessie told the man. 

" Oh yeah?"

" Yeah. My dad actually works for Shinra."

" Is that right? Well what department I might have met him at some point." Sam spoke. 

Sam seemed genuinely interested in listening to Jessie. The way he looked at her, the size of the smile on his face. It was... Nice.

" His name is Rowan Rasberry. And he's the chief maintenance engineer for the sector seven plate."

" Is that right?! Okay! yeah, I'm pretty sure I have him..." Sam exclaimed. " But wait a minute..."

" What is it?" Jessie asked.

" If his name is Rasberry then that means...."

Jessie sighed and hung her head. " Yes, my name is Rasberry. Jessie Rasberry."

" That's adorable." Sam stated. 

Jessie started turning pink as Sam complimented her name. However.

" Oh look, there it goes. You're turning red like a Rasberry! HAhahahaha!" 

" Oh, shut up." Jessie muttered. She crossed her arms and looked the other way, hoping to hide the smile on her face. 

But Sam could see it clearly from the way the corner of her lips were turned upwards. 

" Hey, don't turn away now, it was just getting good. You still haven't told me about your mom."

" Oh? Well, my mom's pretty amazing herself. She used to be a chef, but after I was born, she stayed home to help raise me. She and my dad both encouraged me to pursue my acting career. And honestly, I wouldn't have made it this far without their support."

" That sounds beautiful, Jessie. Seriously I'm happy for you."

" Thanks, Sam..." Jessie replied. " What about you, huh? What are your parents like?"

Sam took a deep breath and sighed. " Don't know."

" What do you mean?"

" I mean, I don't know about my parents. I was born in Shinra, I didn't meet Sephiroth until we were both five years old, and even then, I didn't find out he was my brother until a little after my fifth birthday."

" What?"

" Yup. Can you imagine how surprising that was? I mean they just pulled me into a lab one day and said here's your brother. You guys are going to be SOLDIERS greatest achievements, don't let us down." Sam explained.

" That's... That's horrible." Jessie muttered. Her smile had turned sour. She was mortified by what she was hearing, a far cry from what her father had always spoken of.

" I'm.... I'm sorry, I had no idea SOLDIER was so... So."

Sam placed a hand on Jessie's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

" It's okay, Jessie. Don't feel bad for me. Not all of Shinra is that bad. Like I said, between Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis, I got along just fine. It was hard, but I got through it and I learned, and I grew, and well... I guess, I just found a better place for myself." Sam told the woman.

" But your friend..."

" My friends.... They.... They made their own choices. They lived their lives. I just wish.... I wish they would have let me help them, the same way they helped me." Sam exclaimed. 

Placing the palm of his hand on his face, Sam quickly tried to hide his face as tears began welling up in the corners of his eyes. 

Jessie placed a hand on his back, as Sam rubbed his face, trying to get the tears to go away.

" I'm sorry, that you lost your friends. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that was."

After a few moments, Sam took a deep breath, and sat back up. 

" It's okay."

" You know something, Sam. You don't have to try to be tough all the time. It's okay to be gentle every now and then. No one's going to think less of you for it."

" I'm sorry, Jessie. But that's just not true. A lot of people count on me. I get things done the way I do, so that no one else has to. So that no young man with head full of delusions and dreams of grandeur ends up getting killed." Sam spoke. " I..." Sam grit his teeth and slapped his leg. " I hate it."

" You hate what?"

" Nothing... Never mind." He spoke. Sam stood up and rubbed his face. " Come on. Let's forget about it for now. What do you say we go do something fun, huh?" 

Jessie looked up at Sam and... Well, she felt bad. The look on his face did not suggest he was as happy as he was letting on. The confidence he exuded, the pride, the charisma... The more she looked deeper, the more she saw how underneath all that strength was a fragile man, with a wounded heart. 

Jessie took Sam's hand and stood up, a smile gracing her face. 

Perhaps for now, maybe it was for the best they just forgot about it. Who know whether or not that was the right decision. Only time would tell.

Reno watched as Jessie and Sam ventured further on into the park, a look of concern on his face.

..............

" Did you ever find out who that woman was, Reno?" Tseng asked as Reno briefed him on the next day.

" Nah... I forgot it. She's nothing special anyway." Reno told the man.

Tseng was quiet. " I see. Be careful, Reno. This mission is important."

" I know, I know. I've been paying attention, but I just don't see a reason to worry. The guy's just going around, eats, does a few things, then comes back up to the room. Honestly, he's quite a bore."

" I see. Very well. Continue to keep an eye on things."

" Don't worry, man. I got this." Reno said to the man. He then hang up and sighed. " I got this."