Chapter Text
Terra stared over the railing of the Falcon, watching the world renew itself. She didn’t realize it would happen so fast, but the way it had deteriorated over the last year maybe it was just the way things were.
The young woman was depressed. She already missed her magic. She had been born with it, it had always made her special. Even though Leo and Celes carried magic in them they weren’t like her. They were enhanced humans while she was half Esper, the only half-Esper ever known to have existed. Now she was just a normal woman. She didn’t know how she was going to deal with it. All she knew how to do was take care of kids, and she didn’t know how she’d be able to teach them all they needed to know. There was so much she could never teach; she was illiterate and knew little but magic.
Celes was nearby, and she appeared to be deep in thought too, or maybe she was just bored. Terra didn’t understand. She’d think the older girl would be happy. She was free. Nobody would try to kill her or breed her or whatever it was the Empire wanted from her. She, like Terra, could do whatever she wanted with herself. Her problem was that unlike Terra she had no idea what she wanted to do with herself. She was a warrior, it was what she had been bred for.
“Are you okay?” Terra asked.
“I don’t know how you have this life thing figured out so well,” Celes said, looking at Terra and leaning on the railing.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know anything.”
“You know what you want to do with yourself at least. You have all those kids. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.”
“I can’t teach half the things the kids will need to learn and I still want to understand love. Some of that I’ve learned from the kids. I mean, I love them, but I don’t know all of it. Can you tell me? I know you and Locke are, as Edgar put it, ‘an item’, so you must know about love,” Terra said.
“I don’t know anything about love. I know about sex, but that’s only part of it. I might have loved Leo when I was in the army, I’m not sure. And yes, I do love Locke but…maybe it just happens. That’s how it seems with us. He was originally simply my ticket out of getting killed, I didn’t expect to develop feelings for him. I don’t know why or how it happened. I’m not all wise or anything, Terra. I’m not much older than you, and my experience is more into fighting,” Celes said.
“I’m thinking maybe if I got married my husband could teach the kids what I can’t, but I can’t get married unless I’m in love. All I know is how I feel for the children. I do love them, but that’s a lot different than being in a relationship with someone,” Terra said.
“I realize that. Sorry Terra, but I think I’m going in for a while, I’m tired. Maybe think about what I’m going to do with my life a little more. Maybe have a nap. Tell Locke if he wants to see me. Maybe he can help me figure out a plan,” Celes said, yawning. “Maybe I should just pick up Cid and move out to Jidoor and become a diva…” She left, leaving Terra alone again.
Well, Terra wasn’t completely alone. Relm and Gau were off to a side. The wild boy was wrestling with Interceptor the dog and Relm was drawing and making sure the dog or the boy didn’t get hurt (the dog had been hers since Shadow had died on the Floating Continent). The men were playing cards, probably just because there was nothing else to do at the moment.
“Full house Edgar. I win,” Setzer said.
“You always win. You must be cheating,” Edgar complained.
“You know what you bet. One dare, and I’ve got a good one,” Setzer said. He went and whispered something in Edgar’s ear.
“I knew I should’ve quit when I ran out of gil,” Edgar said, getting up and going over to Terra.
“What are you doing? Don’t touch me!” Terra asked. She didn’t like where she was sure this was going, moving away from the railing and backing off.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Edgar said. Terra backed against the wall, wishing she still had her magic. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she wished she could at least cast Stop…and maybe Fira some sense into Setzer. Backed into the wall though she was, she couldn’t escape.
Edgar embraced her, “You know, if you ever want to come out to Figaro to visit, or even to live there, you’re perfectly welcome to. Bring the kids, there’s lots of space,” he whispered. Terra grinned at him. Then she brought her knee up hard and hit him right in the groin. Edgar fell over. Locke and Sabin laughed like hyenas.
“I told you not to touch me!” Terra yelled.
“I deserved that,” Edgar whined.
“You’ve deserved that for a long time now, brother. Terra, you’re great. No other woman has been brave enough to do that,” Sabin said.
“You’re saying that now, Sabin. I still need to father heirs someday. If I can’t, it has to be you, and I don’t see you getting married any time soon,” Edgar complained.
“Gau, stop biting him!” Relm yelled, Interceptor yelping in pain.
“Terra, you are a riot,” Locke said. “Where has Celes gotten off to? She would’ve found that pretty hilarious too. She’s gonna be sorry she missed it.”
“She said she was tired and was gonna try to take a nap, but if you wanted to go to her it was fine,” Terra said.
“Well, if she’s sleeping I wouldn’t want to bother her,” Locke said.
“She just went in, I don’t think she could possibly be asleep yet. Particularly with all that’s been going on. Besides, she loves you. Just go in and be with her. You can help her decide what to do now that she’s free of the Empire,” Terra said.
“For someone who doesn’t understand love you sure seem to have a lot of advice for me with my girlfriend,” Locke said.
“No, it’s just what Celes told me.”
“You’re very lucky to have Celes, don’t you dare disappoint her,” Setzer added. It was no secret he was in love with the blonde woman too.
“Hey guys? Does anyone have a bandage? Gau bit Interceptor pretty hard and he’s bleeding,” Relm said.
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Locke went in while the others were trying to trying to help Relm tend to her wounded Doberman. He really hoped Celes wasn’t asleep, he didn’t want to wake her up.
The treasure hunter knocked on the door to the back room. That was the most likely place his girlfriend would be since there was a couch in there where she could sleep.
“It’s fine, you can come in,” Celes called.
Locke entered to find the blonde laying on her back on the couch, hugging a pillow to herself. She was clearly very upset.
“I’m glad you’re awake, I don’t know what I’d do if you had been asleep,” Locke said.
“I wasn’t really going to sleep. I have too much to think about, I just didn’t want to talk about it anymore with Terra. She doesn’t need to be burdened by my problems. I really am happy Kefka is gone, that the Empire is gone. I just wish it could’ve happened sooner,” Celes said.
“Whatever you decide, I’ll be there for you,” Locke said.
“I know! Let’s get married and live in Jidoor! We can get Granddad, and find ourselves a place. I could be a diva!” Celes exclaimed.
“You’re a general, not an opera twit,” Locke joked.
Celes sighed. “I’m nothing anymore. Ever since I spoke out against poisoning Doma I’ve been nothing. I’m supposed to be dead. I’m amazed they even held me where you found me. Usually they just killed any traitor outright then and there. When I was young, I was constantly told how valuable Terra and I were to Gestahl. I know little else but magic, and even that is gone. I never expected to be able to live a normal life. And with you. When I was with the Empire I was convinced I’d end up with Leo, probably forced to have a bunch of magic babies until I became useless and broken and eventually executed anyway. I’ve never been normal, I never knew my parents. Cid says he has no idea who my father was, and that my mother died giving birth to me like Edgar and Sabin’s. I am what I was bred to be,” she said, curling up in a ball. Locke sat down next to her and stroked her side. In the time he had known her, she had never seemed so vulnerable, even when he had first found her chained in a basement in South Figaro awaiting execution.
“Let’s forget about the Empire. We can talk about what you suggested before. I think it’s a great idea. Setzer is the captain of this airship, he could legally marry us,” Locke whispered.
“I can’t forget, and I will never forgive. I despised Kefka even before he did all this. He terrorized me as long as I can remember. We avenged many. We avenged Leo, and we avenged me. Locke, I’m going to tell you something I have never told anyone else. It’s a very difficult subject, and you are never to repeat it to anyone else…”